


The Magician's Final Disappearing Act

by realityisoverrated



Series: Infinite Love [100]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Heavy Angst, Kidnapping, M/M, Past Child Abuse, Polyamory, Polyfidelity, Smoaking billionaires, Toliver, flommy, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-01
Updated: 2017-04-26
Packaged: 2018-10-13 12:47:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 37,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10514073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/realityisoverrated/pseuds/realityisoverrated
Summary: Malcolm Merlyn crosses the one line that Oliver, Tommy and Felicity will never forgive.





	1. Profonde

**Author's Note:**

> This story depicts a polyamorous relationship between one woman and two men. If this is not something you are interested in, please stop and go no further. 
> 
> It's hard to believe, but we have officially reached the 100th installment of this series. My thank you note to you was too long. Evidently, 5000 characters isn't enough. Please see the end notes. 
> 
> As promised, Malcolm Merlyn underestimates Oliver, Felicity, Tommy and one clever little boy.
> 
> This installment is 85/100. (There is a known issue at AO3. If viewing the stories from the series page, the story numbers aren't always correct. The story number when you open the individual stories is correct).  
> 1\. Beautiful Stranger (Part 28)  
> 2\. The Hack of the Golden Dragon (Part 36)  
> 3\. Two Lights (Part 96)  
> 4\. Girl Wednesday (Part 41)  
> 5\. This Time Last Year (Part 44)  
> 6\. We’ve Got Tonight (Part 85)  
> 7\. The First Time (Part 1)  
> 8\. Distraction (Part 95)  
> 9\. The Interim CEO (Part 88)  
> 10\. Aloe and Chamomile (Part 40)  
> 11\. The Italian Restaurant (Part 3)  
> 12\. Ground Rules (Part 43)  
> 13\. Do The Hustle (Part 21)  
> 14\. The Secret Ingredient (Part 65)  
> 15\. Wherever You Are, There I Am (Part 8)  
> 16\. Perfect (Part 16)  
> 17\. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (Part 49)  
> 18\. Practical Jokes and Other Misunderstandings (Part 14)  
> 19\. Incentives (Part 93)  
> 20\. Cobble Hill (Part 4)  
> 21\. The Sunnybrook (Part 51)  
> 22\. House Warming (Part 15)  
> 23\. 30 (Part 30)  
> 24\. Hong Kong (Part 35)  
> 25\. Twenty Questions Over Brunch (Part 11)  
> 26\. When A Kiss Is Not A Kiss (Part 86) (  
> 27\. Hildy (Part 5)  
> 28\. Burgers & Lies (Part 9)  
> 29\. You Say You Want A Revolution (Part 22)  
> 30\. Unexpected Gifts (Part 70)  
> 31\. Look Me In The Eye And Make Me Feel The Truth (Part 12)  
> 32\. Fight Night (Part 20)  
> 33\. Fear and Loathing (Part 42)  
> 34\. With The Band (Part 53)  
> 35\. The Scarecrow (Part 59)  
> 36\. An Island Of His Own Making (Part 74)  
> 37\. Pas de Deux (Part 75)  
> 38\. Take It Back (Part 76)  
> 39\. Alumni Of The Year (Part 90)  
> 40\. Into Thin Air (Part 17)  
> 41\. Moonlighting (part 98)  
> 42\. Haunted (Part 58)  
> 43\. It Sings To Me (Part 84)  
> 44\. Ask Me And I’ll Tell You No Lies (Part 94)  
> 45\. Let The Sun Shine (Part 92)  
> 46\. It’s Just Like Falling (Part 27)  
> 47\. Will You Still Love Me, Tomorrow? (Part 7)  
> 48\. Life With The Arrow (Part 23)  
> 49\. Up All Night (Part 6)  
> 50\. Welcome Home (Part 10)  
> 51\. Deadshot (Part 62)  
> 52\. Better Than Chocolate Chip Banana Pancakes (Part 24)  
> 53\. The Right To Remain Silent (Part 61)  
> 54\. Home Is Where You Are (Part 2)  
> 55\. Somebody Get A Hammer (Part 26)  
> 56\. Tush Push (Part 48)  
> 57\. Elves (Part 68)  
> 58\. Three (Part 13)  
> 59\. Life Lived In The Tabloids (Part 18)  
> 60\. Baby Talk (Part 91)  
> 61\. Tokyo Calling (Part 25)  
> 62\. Something Blue (Part 39)  
> 63\. I Do. I Do. I Do. (Part 82)  
> 64\. Prudence Chastity (Part 19)  
> 65\. Love Is Worth It In The End (Part 33)  
> 66\. The Mini (Part 38)  
> 67\. The Hall of Fame (Part 46)  
> 68\. A Name By Any Other (Part 47)  
> 69\. The Drop Out (Part 32)  
> 70\. Homework (Part 64)  
> 71\. The Investigation (Part 97)  
> 72\. Count Your Blessings (Part 71)  
> 73\. William (Part 29)  
> 74\. Hold On For One More Day (Part 31)  
> 75\. I Have No Gifts To Bring (Part 72)  
> 76\. Rebecca (Part 99)  
> 77\. Yours, Mine, Ours (Part 37)  
> 78\. Rules Are Made To Be Broken (Part 55)  
> 79\. The Forty-Year-Old Graduate (Part 78)  
> 80\. Take Me Out To The Ballgame (Part 83)  
> 81\. Hope Is Believing In The Light When All You See Is Darkness (Part 52)  
> 82\. Emma (Part 77)  
> 83\. Open Up And Say Ah (Part 60)  
> 84\. Tommy Merlyn’s No Good, Very Bad, Terrible Day (Part 81)  
> 85\. The Magician’s Final Disappearing Act (Part 100)  
> 86\. I Would Not Trade What Might Have Been For What Is (Part 50)  
> 87\. Brothers (Part 45)  
> 88\. Saturdays With The Green Arrow (Part 34)  
> 89\. True Love (Part 87)  
> 90\. Hallelujah (Part 69)  
> 91\. The Green Arrow Did It (Part 73)  
> 92\. Strawberry Milkshake With A Side Of Why (Part 56)  
> 93\. All About The Jeans (Part 54)  
> 94\. A Bunny For Prue (Part 63)  
> 95\. Day 107 (Part 67)  
> 96\. Genius Child (Part 89)  
> 97\. Boys Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Girls Who Kiss Boys Who Kiss Boys (Part 57)  
> 98\. Scars (Part 79)  
> 99\. Tummy Aches and Heart Aches (Part 66)  
> 100\. Gut Punch (Part 80)
> 
> Arrow and its characters do not belong to me.

Artwork by ligiapimenta

 

The Queen Consolidated’s Quarterly Board Meeting was universally dreaded by the two eldest children of the Merlyn-Queen-Smoak household. Felicity spent the two weeks leading up to the meeting working late nights and having teleconferences with QC’s worldwide subsidiaries. As members of the board, Oliver and Tommy were expected to participate in all the requisite meetings and social gatherings. There was a dinner the night before the board meeting and another the evening of the meeting. The children were accustomed to bedtimes without Oliver and Felicity, but they expected Tommy to be there to tuck them in and read them stories. The board meetings made Bobby and Becca uncharacteristically clingy.

“Da,” Becca said from the twins’ doorway, “I want two braids. Will you do it?” She held out a brush and a hair elastic.

“Sweet pea, I don’t have time to redo your hair. Your mommy made a very pretty braid before she left for work,” Tommy said as he rubbed vitamin E cream on Prue’s stomach.

“But I wanted two,” Becca pouted.

“I promise, tomorrow, I’ll give you two braids,” Tommy hoped his daughter would be appeased because he didn’t have time for a meltdown or to redo her hair.

She wrinkled her brow in concentration, “French braids?”

He laughed, “Yes, two French braids.”

“Okay,” Becca didn’t sound like she was convinced she won her negotiation.

“Your daddy is going to have breakfast ready soon, go downstairs and help him set the table. Tell your brother I want to see him,” Tommy instructed his daughter.

Tommy returned his focus to Prue’s stomach. Her most recent surgical scar was healing nicely and he hoped it was her last one. He blew a raspberry against her stomach and Prue giggled in response. He lifted her into a sitting position and sat her next to her brother in his crib.

Bobby ran into the room, “What?”

Tommy arched a brow at his son, “Excuse me?”

Bobby sighed, “Becca said you needed me.”

“Did you pack your drumsticks?” Tommy already knew the answer to be, no. He had a suspicion his son was intentionally forgetting his drumsticks because music day was normally his favorite day of school. If he forgot his drumsticks, it would necessitate someone to come to his school to deliver them.

“Um,” Bobby shifted guiltily on his feet.

“Your mom found them between the sofa cushions last night. They’re on the counter in the kitchen. Go put them in your bookbag. You have band class today and I won’t have time to bring them to you if you forget them.”

“Okay,” Bobby visibly deflated.  He ran from the room and his feet thundered down the stairs.

Nate tugged on Tommy’s sleeve and made the sign for food.

“Nate, say, hun-gry,” Tommy encouraged.

Nate repeated the sign for food.

“Hun-gry,” Tommy said as he made the sign for food.

“Hungry,” Prue smiled.

“Thank you, sweet pea,” Tommy put her shirt over her head. “How about you, buddy? Hun-gry.”

Nate grinned and made the sign for food.

Tommy chuckled at his son’s stubbornness. Nate could talk, he just only did it when it suited him. When it came to nature versus nurture, Oliver’s genes were coming through loud and clear. “As soon as we finish getting you two dressed, we’ll get you breakfast, buddy.”

 

Tommy walked into the kitchen with the twins in his arms. He placed them in their high chairs and turned to find his husband right behind him with their breakfasts.

“Your coffee is on the counter,” Oliver said with a smile.

“Thank you.” Tommy grabbed his coffee from the counter and discovered his son’s drumsticks. He held them up, “Robert?”

Bobby shrugged, “Sorry, da. I forgot.”

“I swear,” Tommy picked up his son’s bag, “if your head wasn’t attached to your neck, you’d lose it.”

“If it wasn’t attached to my neck, I’d be dead,” Bobby grinned cheekily.

“Eat your breakfast,” Tommy instructed his eldest before taking a sip of his coffee.

“I’m eating, da,” Becca informed him.

“Thank you, sweet pea,” Tommy placed a kiss on the top of her head.

“Prue, please take a bite for daddy,” Oliver pleaded.

“No,” Prue turned her head away from Oliver.

“It’s daddy’s special applesauce,” Oliver partially lied.

Prue looked at Oliver with absolute betrayal on her face, “No.”

“Prudence,” Tommy said firmly. “You need to take three bites,” he instructed. They were trying out a new protein powder for Prue and she wasn’t a fan of its flavor, even disguised in her favorite food, Oliver’s homemade applesauce.

She scowled at Tommy but opened her mouth and Oliver quickly put a spoonful in her mouth. Tommy leaned close to Oliver’s ear and whispered, “Use fractions until it’s gone.”

“Good job, Prue,” Oliver smiled at their daughter. “That was, one.”

She opened her mouth and took another spoonful. Her lips puckered and her nose twitched with displeasure, but she swallowed.

“Good job,” Oliver praised. “One and a quarter.”

“I can’t believe she falls for that,” Bobby said under his breath.

“Hey,” Tommy snapped, “if you’re not going to be helpful, zip it.”

“I hate board day,” Becca declared as she pushed her cereal around in her bowl. “Everyone is grumpy.”

If Tommy was being honest, he hated QC’s board meetings too. He tried to put a positive spin on the day, “You get to spend the day with Gram.”

Becca’s face lit up, “She said we can paint my toes purple tonight.”

“Why do you have to go if Uncle Roy doesn’t have to go?” Bobby grumbled.

“Because your Uncle Roy is a lot smarter than me,” Tommy wanted to say. Instead he said, “It’s just the way it is.”

“I’m never going to be on the board,” Bobby declared. “It’s stupid.”

“Your mom and dad have worked very hard for QC to be a legacy for you, your brothers, sisters and cousins. If you want QC to continue to be successful, you might need to be on the board one day,” Tommy said as he cleared Bobby and Becca’s plates. “Go brush your teeth – with toothpaste – Robert.”

“Dada,” Nate reached for him, “hungry.”

Tommy put the dirty dishes on the counter and inspected his son’s tray. There wasn’t a trace of his breakfast left, “You ate it all, little man.”

“Hungry,” Nate said and signed simultaneously.

“Good job using your words, buddy.” Tommy grabbed a small handful of Cheerios and placed them on Nate’s tray. As little appetite as Prue had, Nate was a voracious eater. Tommy wished he could balance them out.

The front door opened and Donna’s heels could be heard clicking down the hallway. She was the only woman Tommy knew who showed up for babysitting in five inch heels. “Am I late?” she asked as she burst into the kitchen.

“You’re right on time,” Oliver said rising from his chair.

Donna looked at the empty bowl in Oliver’s hand and smiled at her granddaughter, “Did you eat all of your breakfast?”

Prue nodded her head and puckered her lips.

Donna pulled out a tube of lipstick and put a dab on Prue’s lips. “You look beautiful,” she cooed at her granddaughter. Nate reached for his grandmother and puckered his lips at her. Donna placed a dab on his lips and he smiled, “You look beautiful too.”

“Let’s go, Bobby,” Oliver called out. “We’re going to be late.”

“Be good for Grandma,” Tommy said to the twins. “That goes double for you, Becca.” He hugged his daughter, “I’ll kiss you goodnight when I get home tonight.”

“Don’t forget,” Becca said.

“I won’t,” he promised. He received two wet kisses from the twins. When he turned around, Oliver laughed.

“Come here,” Oliver crooked his finger. He ran his thumb over Tommy’s lips, “It’s not your shade.” Oliver kissed him chastely.

“Gross,” Bobby pronounced as he lifted his bookbag.

“Just for that,” Tommy kissed Oliver again – slightly less chastely.

Bobby rolled his eyes, “Why do you have to be so in love? Nobody else’s parents kiss.”

“Our happy marriage, it’s a terrible burden for you,” Oliver placed his hands on Bobby’s shoulder and moved him towards the front door.

Tommy waved to his youngest, “I love you guys.”

“We love you too, da,” Becca stopped twirling long enough to wave back.

 

Felicity’s phone lit up with her mom’s name as she was going through the quarterly numbers with the board. She resisted rolling her eyes because her mom knew better than to call on the day the board of directors was in town. As soon as her phone stopped, Tommy pulled his from his pocket and then immediately returned it to his pocket. When Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket, the hair on the back of her neck stood up. Oliver ignored his call too. Something was wrong, she could feel it.

Less than a minute later, Jerry stepped into the board room. He took a look at Felicity and then scanned the table. Her assistant walked up to Tommy and whispered in his ear. Her husband followed Jerry out of the room. A board member asked Felicity a question and she was forced to bring her attention back to her presentation.

Tommy returned to the board room, the color gone from his face.

“What’s wrong?” Oliver interrupted a board member.

“We have to go,” Tommy said tightly.

“We should all take a ten-minute break,” Walter said to the room.

Felicity followed her husbands, Thea and father-in-law into her office. Tommy was grabbing her purse from her desk, when he explained, “There’s been a car accident.”

Walter grabbed Felicity’s arm to keep her upright. Her mom would’ve picked up the kids from school by now. “Is everyone okay?”

“Donna’s at the hospital. She lost consciousness for a minute or two. When she came to, the kids weren’t in the car anymore.”

Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket, “The ambulance probably took them to the children’s hospital.”

“Ollie, they’re not at any of the city hospitals.” Tommy glanced nervously at Felicity, “The security detail was shot. Someone took our kids.”

“Have the police been told?” Walter asked.

“Oh, god,” Felicity tightened her grip on Walter’s arm as the implication of Tommy’s words began to penetrate her brain. Her babies had been taken.

“Quentin was with Donna at the hospital, but he’s on his way to our place. The police have issued an Amber Alert,” Tommy informed them.

“We need to go,” Oliver said to Walter.

“Of course,” Walter squeezed his stepson’s shoulder. “I’ll handle the board. Please keep me informed.”

“Speedy,” Oliver said over his shoulder as he steered his spouses towards the elevator.

Thea had her cell against her ear, “I’m calling Roy and Dig now.”

Felicity had no memory of leaving her office or getting into their car. When Oliver said her name sharply, she realized it wasn’t for the first time. “What?” she asked as she roused herself.

“I need you to look at traffic cams,” he said in a gentler tone.

“Right,” she pulled her tablet from her bag. “Did mom say where the accident was and the time?”

“Bayview and Kane at 3:15,” Tommy answered.

Felicity connected with her computer at the foundry and waited for what felt like an eternity for her citycam program to connect. She watched in horror as a SUV plowed into the side of her mom’s minivan. The SUV hit the front of the van and the driver’s side door. The back of the van where all four of her children were sitting remained untouched. A second, much larger, SUV pulled up and six armed men wearing ski masks got out. A shot was fired in the front passenger seat. Felicity couldn’t remember which member of their security team was on duty. She watched with mounting fear as her four children were removed from the minivan. Bobby and Becca struggled in the arms of their abductors. The twins were both carried away in their car seats. The smart wearables all four children wore were removed and dropped to the ground. It hadn’t been an accident, it was a deliberate event, staged in order to abduct her children. The SUV drove off with her children before any of the bystanders could react. She began to follow the SUV with the city’s cameras with sickening dread. She felt light headed when the SUV arrived at the Starling City airport’s private airfield. Felicity immediately hacked into the airfield’s cameras.

The SUV pulled up to a small jet and the masked men removed her children from the vehicle. “No, no, no, no,” she chanted as she watched Malcolm walk down the steps of the plane. The men carried the children onto the plane and Malcolm followed them. He paused at the top of the steps and turned to face the camera whose feed she was watching. Malcolm smiled and gave a brief wave before he disappeared back into the plane. The jet’s door was closed and the steps wheeled away. The plane immediately began to taxi towards the runway.

“Felicity,” Tommy had turned in the front seat to face her. His hand was extended towards the tablet, “What is it?”

She clutched the tablet to her chest. There was no way she could keep this information from him, but as soon as Tommy watched this footage, it would destroy him. “We have everything on camera.”

Oliver pulled onto their street. Police cars and uniformed officers were everywhere. “I’ll drop you guys off and then head to the foundry,” Oliver stated calmly. “Dig and Roy are already there. I’ll suit up and you can walk us in.”

She covered her mouth when a sob escaped, “It’s too late. Malcolm has them and the plane already took off.”

Tommy was out of the car before Oliver had even come to a complete stop. He ran up the front steps of their home and went past Quentin without saying a word.

“Oliver,” Felicity voice was a plea for him to stay put. She handed the tablet to her husband, “He doesn’t look older than the day I first met him. Lazarus Pit?”

“We need to get in touch with Sara,” Oliver returned her tablet. “We need to know if there are other pits and where they are. We might be able to trace him if we know where he’s been bathing.”

The realization that Malcolm had probably been spending time in a Lazarus Pit increased her dread, “He has our children and he’s most likely more - unstable than ever before.” The word she couldn’t say, but knew Oliver was thinking too, was, violent.

“Delete the video from the airport’s servers,” he said tightly. “We won’t be able to explain Malcolm to the cops.”

“It’s already done,” she confirmed.

“We need to get Mia and Scott somewhere safe,” Oliver said in the tone he reserved for Team Arrow mission briefings. “If Malcolm is rounding up his grandchildren, let’s give him two less targets.”

“I’ll make the arrangements,” Felicity agreed.

He stepped out of the car and opened the back door to let her out. She slipped her hand into his and he helped her to her feet. He pressed his lips to her ear, “I will get our children back, I promise.”


	2. Elmsley Count

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The FBI arrives to help with the search for the children.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your enthusiastic response to the first chapter.
> 
> I know I left you on a bit of a cliffhanger, so let's get right to it.

Oliver paced the kitchen as he waited for Felicity to find him something he could act on. Malcolm hadn’t filed a flight plan and the signal from his transponder disappeared shortly after take-off. He was literally flying under the radar and they had no way of tracking him until he touched down. There was also the added complication of the Lazarus Pit. Neither Oliver nor Felicity could bring themselves to tell their husband that his father’s madness had probably only gotten worse. Oliver hated himself for not telling Tommy, but he was already worried about his husband’s mental state without adding to his fears. They’d cross that bridge when they came to it.

“The FBI is here,” Quentin announced as he entered the kitchen. “Where’s, Tommy?”

“Out back,” Oliver responded. “Can we get rid of the FBI? They’re not going to be a help.”

“Oliver, these are your kids. It doesn’t get more high profile. There is no getting rid of them,” Quentin explained.

Malcolm Merlyn had his children. Oliver didn’t have time to deal with a bunch of well-meaning people who were already behind in the investigation. He wanted the FBI gone, “Do we have to accept their help? Can’t we refuse?”

“They don’t need your cooperation, but if you don’t cooperate, things are going to go badly for the three of you.” Quentin rubbed his hands over his head, “The three of you are going to be the number one suspects in their disappearance. They need to rule you out. Cooperate. Felicity can still run her searches while they run theirs.”

The doorbell rang. Oliver could hear John answer the door and ask to verify the identities of the agents. John escorted the agents to the living room and then entered the kitchen. “Six agents,” he informed them. “They’re going to set up in the living room. They’ve asked to see you.”

Tommy was standing in the grass with his hands in his pockets staring at the ground. Oliver tapped on the window. Tommy looked up and nodded when Oliver gestured for him to come inside. Oliver opened the door for his husband and instantly felt his anxiety increase one hundred percent. Tommy looked absolutely wrecked and like he was one second away from completely falling apart.

“What’s going on?” Tommy asked wiping his eyes.

“The FBI is here,” Oliver said.

“Did they find something?” Tommy looked from Oliver to Felicity with barely contained hope in his eyes.

Oliver reached for Tommy’s hand, “They haven’t found them.”

“They want to talk to us,” Felicity told Tommy.

Oliver and Tommy followed Felicity into the living room. “Thank you for coming,” Felicity said as she extended her hand to the nearest agent. “I’m Felicity Smoak.” She pointed to her husbands, “This is Oliver Queen and Tommy Merlyn.”

A man in his mid-fifties, who reminded Oliver of an officious college professor he had at Princeton, began to speak, “I’m the agent in charge, Rick Shultz. This is my team, Special Agents Tammy Olsen, Dave Jones, Adam Scott and agents, Sally Gallant and Peter Mayhew. We need to ask you a few things before we start.”

“Okay,” Oliver said as he silently appraised the federal agents. He needed to know how easy it would be for his team to operate without having to worry about the feds catching on.

“Have you received a ransom demand or been contacted by the kidnappers in any way?” Agent Olsen inquired.

“We haven’t been contacted by anyone,” Oliver answered.

“Do you have recent photos of the children?” Agent Scott asked.

Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket, “I took pictures of them yesterday at the park.”

“Did you notice anyone watching you while you were at the park?” Shultz asked. Tommy looked at the agent like he had six heads, “Everyone is always watching us.”

“Fair enough,” Shultz responded. “Did anyone feel unusual or out of place?”

“No, it was like any other day,” he handed his cell to Agent Scott.

“Have you received any threats lately?” Shultz asked.

“No,” Oliver answered.

Schultz sat across from them, “Can you think of anyone who would want to take the children?”

“No,” Oliver did nothing to mask his annoyance. The agent was wasting their time.

“Do you have kidnap and ransom insurance?” Agent Mayhew asked.

“We do,” Oliver practically growled. The insurance was required by the board of QC.

“On all of the children?” Mayhew asked as he wrote in a small black notebook.

Oliver shook his head with surprise, “Of course, on all of our children. On each of us too.”

Mayhew locked eyes with Oliver, “We’ll need the details on those policies.”

“They’re in the safe in my office,” Felicity responded calmly. She squeezed Oliver’s arm as a reminder for him to remain calm too. “I’ll be happy to get them for you.”

“Who knows you have these policies?” Agent Gallant questioned.

“How are these questions helping us find our children?” Oliver snapped. The agents were trying to keep them on edge. They weren’t using one agent to build a rapport with them, instead they were each bombarding them with questions. By their techniques, Oliver was convinced the agents believed one or all of them were involved in their children’s abduction.

“These questions are necessary. This wasn’t a random abduction. You and your children were targeted. Whoever took them, they or their reasons are known to you.” Shultz gestured towards the sofa, “We have more questions for you, please, sit down.”

“Ms. Smoak,” Agent Olsen said kindly, “would you show us the children’s rooms?”

Felicity squeezed her husband’s hands before she escorted Agents Olsen and Scott from the room. Oliver recognized an interrogation technique when he saw one. They were trying to separate them. He sat down next to Tommy. Three of the agents were focusing their attention on Tommy. He was wound tight with anxiety and was giving off a guilty vibe. Oliver placed his hand on Tommy’s knee and leaned in close. He whispered, “You need to relax.”

Tommy gave him a hurt look, but he nodded. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Oliver squeezed Tommy’s knee before clasping his hands between his own knees and leaned forward, “Agent Shultz, what are you doing to find our children?”

“We are tracing the SUV that left the scene of the accident,” Shultz opened a small notebook. “How old is Robert?”

“He turned eight in November,” Oliver answered.

“What was he wearing this morning?”

Oliver’s mind went uncharacteristically blank. He couldn’t remember how the children had been dressed. He looked to his husband for help, “Tommy?”

Tommy ran his fingers through his hair, “He was wearing jeans and a knit navy blue pullover. He had on his red sneakers. He was wearing his navy blue puffy coat. It has a hood.”

“Same questions for Rebecca.”

“She turned five last week.” Tommy touched his chest, “She was wearing a pink turtleneck with little bears and a blue jumper with a teddy bear on the front of it. She had on pink tights and pink shoes with a white bow. Her puffy coat is lilac and the hood is trimmed with white fur.”

“How about Nathaniel?”

“The twins are eighteen months.” Tommy clasped his shaking hands together. “Nate was wearing red corduroy overalls and a blue long-sleeved shirt with little firetrucks. He wears red glasses, they look like goggles. He can’t see without them.” Tommy took a gulping breath and began to cry. He covered his face with his hands and pulled himself back together. He continued, “Prue was wearing purple corduroy overalls with a white long-sleeved shirt with little purple hearts. Nate’s coat is a light blue and Prue’s is yellow.”

“Do you dress the children every morning?” Shultz asked.

“Yes,” Tommy answered.

“Who took Bobby to school this morning?” Schultz’s pen tapped against his notebook.

“We did,” Oliver answered. “Usually, I take him every morning.”

“Does Felicity’s mom usually pick up Bobby from school?”

“No,” Tommy wiped his eyes, “I do.”

“Why the change in routine today?” Shultz asked

“Today is Queen Consolidated’s quarterly board meeting. All three of us are on the board, so Donna takes the kids for us whenever we have a board meeting,” Oliver answered.

“Who is the father of the children?” Agent Schultz asked Tommy.

Oliver narrowed his eyes and glared at the agent, “We are their fathers.”

Shultz let out a huff of frustration. “Biologically, who is the father of each of the children?”

“Why does that matter?” Tommy asked angrily.

“If only one of you is the biological father, it might help us narrow down the suspect list,” Shultz said as he made a note in his book.

“Both of us are biological fathers,” Oliver answered. “Next question.”

Agent Mayhew took over, “How would you describe your relationship? Is it happy?”

“I imagine our relationship is like everyone else’s with small children. We’re tired. We don’t get as much time together as we’d like, but, yes, we’re happy,” Oliver replied warily.

Mayhew addressed Tommy, “If you were to separate, who would get custody of the children?”

“Separate?” Tommy asked with confusion. “We’re not separating.”

“As you pointed out, Mr. Merlyn,” Shultz jumped back in, “everyone is always watching you. The papers recently reported that your relationship is in trouble.”

“The tabloids are always reporting that our relationship is in trouble,” Oliver said tightly. “We don’t recommend anyone putting much stock in the tabloids.”

Schultz appeared to be checking his notes, “Ms. Smoak was on television not too long ago discussing her postpartum depression. She implied it placed a lot of stress on your relationship.”

“Was that a question?” Oliver did his best to keep his temper.

“Has Ms. Smoak’s depression improved?” Mayhew asked.

“What does this have to do with our missing children?” Tommy asked with ice in his voice.

Schultz leaned towards Tommy, “The thing is, Mr. Merlyn, you say, _our children_ , but there isn’t any legal protection for your relationship. You’re the primary caregiver of these children. I imagine that you’d want primary custody of all four children if this relationship ended. If they aren’t all yours biologically, you wouldn’t get custody of all of them in court.”

“No one needs to be seeking custody of anyone. Our relationship is stable,” Tommy placed his hand on top of Oliver’s. “If your line of inquiry is going to be around us, you’re wasting your time, but more importantly, you’re not helping our children. Ask what you need to ask. Satisfy whatever puerile curiosity you have about our relationship, but do it quickly so you can start finding _our_ children.”

The front door opened and closed. All of the agents stood up.

“Dad? Dad?” William called out frantically.

Oliver rose from the sofa, “In the living room.”

William, with Emma on his heels, rushed into the room and threw himself into his dad’s arms, “I was coming out of class when someone told me. What happened? Where are they? Why didn’t you call me?”

Oliver knew William was asking why he hadn’t been called so the team could suit up. “We don’t know anything yet,” Oliver hugged his son tighter. “We’re going to find them.”

Agent Shultz cleared his throat. Oliver let go of his son, “This is my son, William Clayton. He’s a sophomore at Starling University.” Oliver squeezed Emma’s shoulder in reassurance. She loved Bobby as much as Bobby loved her. “This is Emma Green. She is Bobby’s academic assistant.” At Shultz’s questioning look, Oliver clarified, “Bobby splits his time between elementary and middle school. Emma drives him between schools and sits in on his middle school classes.”

Shultz pointed to Agent Gallant as he addressed Oliver, “If you’re being targeted, we should probably get a detail on William.”

William straightened his shoulders. “I can take care of myself. Worry about my brothers and sisters.”

Oliver turned to his son and Emma, “Quentin is in the kitchen with Dig.”

William wiped his eyes and nodded in understanding, “Okay. We’ll be in the kitchen.”

Oliver watched as William took Emma’s hand and led her into the kitchen. He turned his attention back to the agents. “We’re a normal family, Agent Shultz. Stop judging us for our differences and focus on finding our kids.” he snapped.

 

It was two o’clock in the morning and the children had been gone for thirty-five hours.  There was still no sighting of Malcolm's jet landing anywhere.  Tommy feared they were already on the other side of the world and he'd never see them again.  He'd been going stir crazy sitting in the house - waiting.  The cold night air was helping to keep Tommy focused.  He walked around their garden picking up the children's toys that were scattered across the lawn.  It drove Oliver nuts when the kids didn't put their toys away and left them outside overnight.  The thought of the toys being outside in the cold and dark filled Tommy with a sense of panic.

Tommy wanted to throw something. He wanted to put his fist through the wall. He wanted his father dead. Tommy was filled with a red-hot rage that he had no way of venting. The FBI agents were camped out in their living room. They were expecting a ransom demand that was never going to come. Every minute the FBI was there, was a minute Oliver and the rest of the team weren’t in the field chasing his dad.

He could still hear the inane questions the agents had asked them after Felicity returned from giving a tour of the children’s rooms. It was clear that the agents thought it was either a kidnapping to extort money, or, a religious group trying to make a point about the immorality of their relationship. Tommy had left the room before he punched a federal agent. They were wasting time. Every second they spent entertaining the FBI’s theories was a second more his dad had to disappear with Tommy’s children.

The past twenty-four hours were spent answering more questions as the FBI sorted through all of the threats and hate mail the family routinely received. As for Oliver and his team, they’d been unable to make any progress in finding Malcolm. So far, his dad had effectively covered his tracks.

Lyla was using ARGUS resources to track the plane. Sara and Nyssa had deployed the League to investigate Lazarus Pit locations to see if they could find a lead. Barry and Ray had offered their assistance and were using their own resources to locate the children. Until someone received actionable intelligence, Tommy was forced to pace in the garden.

"Tommy," Quentin called from the back door, "the FBI wants to talk."

He reentered the kitchen with an arm full of toys to find the entire family gathered.  Walter, Thea, Roy, Donna, John and Lyla were sitting at the table with Felicity.  Oliver was leaning against the kitchen counter looking worried.  There were six FBI agents staring at Tommy as he put the toys away in the toy box.

"Mr. Merlyn," Special Agent Schultz said gruffly, "are you aware that your father had another child?”

Tommy resisted looking towards Thea. No one outside of their family knew that Thea was Malcolm’s daughter. “I’m Malcolm’s only child.”

“We believe your father has another son,” Agent Schultz handed Tommy a stack of photographs. “The video cameras on the airfield didn’t record anything, but the camera inside the terminal was working.”

Tommy was rendered speechless by the image in the photographs. The last time he’d seen his father, he’d thought his dad was aging well, but there had been signs of aging. He’d assumed his dad’s vanity was the reason why his hair was still the same raven black as it had been when he was growing up, but there had been wrinkles that had hinted at his dad’s sixty-seven years. The man he was looking at in the photographs didn’t look a day older than he had when Tommy first left for Harvard. He looked at Oliver and Felicity who were both staring intently at their feet. They’d seen the video footage from the airport’s security cameras the day before, and they hadn’t told him that his dad had found the fountain of youth or another Lazarus Pit. “This is my dad,” he said softly.

“By our records, if your father was still alive, he’d be sixty-nine. This man appears to be in his late forties or early fifties. He can’t be your father,” Agent Schultz’s brow furrowed as he studied Tommy. “Is there some reason why you think your dad is still alive?”

Tommy resisted looking to Oliver for reassurance, "His body was never found after the Undertaking.  I always assumed he survived." His response was truthful, if misleading.

"Have you had contact with your father?" Schultz asked.

He wished he’d heard from his dad, because then they might have a clue as to what twisted game his dad was playing. "No," he replied, "not, recently."

"We believe this man took your children.  Do you know why he’d do that?" Agent Olsen asked. “Has someone ever claimed to be Malcolm’s child? Has anyone ever asked for their share of the Merlyn fortune?”

Tommy scoffed, “There is no Merlyn fortune. The courts seized every last dime after the Undertaking.”

Agent Jones glanced at his notebook, “Our records indicate that you are worth more than Mr. Queen and Ms. Smoak combined.”

“I inherited money from my mom,” Tommy explained.

“Might not make a difference to someone who resents you for having something he doesn’t. He might think he’s entitled to your money and thinks your children are the best way to get at it,” Schultz reasoned.

“I don’t have a brother – illegitimate or otherwise.” Tommy held the picture towards Schultz, “The man in the photo is my dad. He must’ve found one hell of a plastic surgeon.”

“Why would your dad kidnap your children?” Agent Jones asked.

"I gave up trying to figure out why my dad does what he does a long time ago," Tommy answered.

"Did you ask your father to take the children?" Agent Olsen asked coldly.

"What?" Tommy asked.

Oliver stood up straight, "Tommy had nothing to do with this."

"Mr. Queen.  I won't pretend to understand what goes on in this house, but in these situations, a parent is almost always involved.  We need to know if Malcolm Merlyn, or whoever the man in this photo is, was given consent, by Tommy, to take Robert, Rebecca, Nathaniel and Prudence." Schultz sounded annoyed.

"My father is a monster.  I wouldn’t let him look at them, let alone take them," Tommy said with contempt.  "He does not have my consent."

"Where would your father take them?" Schultz’s tone softened.

"I don't know," Tommy said with frustration.  If he knew where they were he'd already be on his way there.

"Do you even want to find your children?"  Olsen asked.

"Hey," Lance snapped, "show some respect."

Before anyone could respond, Tommy's cell rang, or, more precisely, a drumroll. "It's Bobby," Tommy said as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

"On speaker," Schultz instructed.

"Bobby?" Tommy asked hopefully.

"Hello, Thomas," Malcolm said smugly.  "Missing someone -  or four someones?"

"Where are my children?" Tommy's voice trembled with rage.

"They're quite safe," Malcolm responded.

"What do you want?" Tommy read from the paper Agent Olsen held in front of him.

"I wanted a relationship with my grandchildren, but you denied my every request," Malcolm hissed.  "Now I get to deny you a relationship with them.  I'll raise them like Merlyns."

Fear and desperation crawled up Tommy spine. The last thing Tommy wanted was for his children to be raised like Merlyns. There was a reason he didn’t want his children to share his name, and that reason was on the phone. "Please, dad, they're just babies."

"Bobby needed to be removed from your influence while there was still time to teach him how to be a real man.  I failed with you.  I started too late."

"If you lay a hand on any of my children, I will kill you myself," Tommy promised with ice in his voice.

Malcolm laughed, "I do believe you mean that.  Too bad you'll never see any of us again."

Agent Olsen held up another piece of paper that read, _Proof of life_.

"Please, let me speak to them." When Malcolm remained silent, he continued, "Let me say goodbye."

The silence stretched out and he looked at his cell to confirm the call was still connected.

"Da?" Bobby's voice filled their kitchen.

Tears filled Tommy's eyes and he exhaled with relief, "Mommy, daddy, and I are here." Oliver and Felicity crowded against him.

“Da, is Grandma okay? She was bleeding,” Bobby sounded like he was crying.

“I’m okay, sweetheart,” Donna told her grandson.

“Mr. Chapel was shot by the bad men,” Bobby’s voice quavered.

In other circumstances, he’d be proud of his son’s compassion and concern for others. Right now, he wanted answers. “Mr. Chapel is in the hospital, but he’s going to be okay,” Tommy said truthfully. “Are you okay?”

"I want to come home," Bobby told them.

"Soon, little man," Oliver promised.

"Are you okay?" Felicity asked the question again.

"I don't like the food," Bobby answered. “It’s worse than Siu’s mom’s.”

“Are your sisters and brother okay?" Tommy asked.

"Becca's crying for mommy.  I don't know where Nate and Prue went.  They got off the plane before us," Bobby informed them. "I told the man that we needed to stay together, but he said they aren't Merlyns. I told him we’re all Smoaks, but he didn’t listen to me."

Felicity's legs gave out and she sank to the floor.

"The man says I have to go,” Bobby sounded panicked. “When are you coming to get me?"

"Soon," Oliver said.  "We love you."

"I love you too," Bobby responded.

“Bobby,” Tommy said quickly, “do you remember what I always tell you?”

“No matter what, daddy will always come for me,” Bobby recited.

“You need to be brave until daddy comes,” Tommy instructed his son. “You’ll be home soon. Tell your sister that we love her.”

The sound of rustling let them know that the phone was being shifted.

"I will give Robert and Rebecca a good life," Malcolm returned to the phone. “They will be the type of Merlyns the world will respect and not be fodder for ridicule and gossip on cable news.”

"Where are Nate and Prue, you son of a bitch?" Tommy seethed.

"Did you honestly think I'd waste my energy raising Oliver's bastards - especially ones so weak?" Malcolm sneered.

Tommy turned away from the prying eyes of the FBI. "Where did you leave my babies?"

"Relax.  I'm sure Oliver and Felicity will be able to track them down." Malcolm gloated, "Oliver will be too interested in finding his real children to spend any energy looking for yours.  I told you, you'd regret your choices one day.  Today is that day."

“I will do whatever you want. I will go wherever you tell me to. I will let you beat me to death, just tell me where our children are. Dad, I’m begging you, please don’t do this.” Out of sheer desperation, Tommy asked, “What would mom say if she knew you kidnapped my children? Do you think she would’ve approved?”

“Don’t you dare tell me what your mother would’ve wanted,” Malcolm shouted. “She would’ve wanted me to know my grandchildren. You were always such a disappointment to her. We should’ve refused medical intervention when you were born and let you die. You were always so weak and pathetic. We could’ve tried again and had a worthy son. Bobby and Rebecca are my second chance.”

"Dad, wait." The phone disconnected.  Tommy immediately called Bobby's cell, but it went straight to voicemail.

"Are they dead?" Felicity asked Tommy.

Tommy knelt on the floor beside her and took her face between his hands, "No, Nate and Prue are not dead.  We're going to find them.  He's using them as a distraction so he can disappear with Bobby and Becca.  We just need to follow the bread crumbs – once we find one."

Tommy helped Felicity to her feet.  He directed his question to the FBI, but it was really meant for Felicity and Lyla, "We know his plane made at least two stops.  Have you found any sign of his plane?"

"We're still looking," agent Schultz said.

"Look harder," Tommy snapped.  The thought of Nate and Prue with someone other than Malcolm was even more terrifying.  They'd taken comfort that Bobby was with his siblings and knew his baby sister's food requirements.  If his youngest was with a stranger who had no knowledge of her medical needs, they were running out of time.

"Tommy," Oliver said gently.

"I know," he replied.  Finding the twins had to take priority.  Bobby and Becca were in danger, but Malcolm would keep them alive.  They had no guarantee that whomever had been given the twins had any incentive to keep them alive. With Prue’s medical history, it was critical they find her as quickly as possible.

"Your father is right," Agent Olsen stated.  "With the children separated our focus will need to be split."

"We need to find the twins first," Tommy said to the agent.  "For the time being, Bobby and Becca are in less danger."

“What was the message you gave Bobby?” Agent Olsen asked.

“What message?” Tommy asked with confusion.

She opened her notebook and read back, “Bobby, do you remember what I always tell you?” - No matter what, daddy will always come for me. -  You need to be brave until daddy comes.” The agent looked up from her notebook, “What did you mean by that?”

“I meant that his daddy will come for him. I was trying to reassure him,” Tommy responded.

“Do you always refer to yourself in the third person?” Agent Shultz challenged.

“I’m daddy,” Oliver pointed to his own chest before pointing to Tommy, “he’s da. He was telling our son that I will come for him.”

“It didn’t strike you as strange that the message Mr. Merlyn gave your child is that you will be the one to come for him?” Schultz inquired.

“Our son was afraid, and his dad comforted him.” Oliver wrapped an arm around Felicity’s shoulder and tucked her protectively into his side. “You’re looking for something that isn’t there. Malcolm Merlyn has our children, without our consent.”

The kitchen felt like it was closing in on Tommy.  "Excuse me for a minute," he said as he walked out of the room.

Tommy took the stairs to the second floor, two at a time. He avoided looking in the children's bedrooms.  Four children were safely tucked in and sound asleep, but they weren't his. Grace was asleep in Becca’s bed. JJ was in Bobby’s. Mia and Scott were asleep in the twins’ room.

Tommy went straight to his bathroom and splashed cold water on his face and tried not to think about how if he'd killed his dad the night of the Undertaking, his children would all be safe in their beds.

A shadow fell across the bathroom floor and he was surprised to see Quentin and not Oliver standing there.

"Are you all right?" Quentin waved his hand, "I'm not talking about the kids being missing because of course you're not all right." Quentin took a step closer, "Are, you, all right?"

Tommy let out a shaky breath.  He didn't know the answer.  He felt dangerously close to flying apart.  He felt manic.  “I keep telling myself that Bobby's eight and Becca's five.  He didn’t hit me until I was eleven, but he wasn't home when I was their age." Tommy's hands began to shake, "Bobby likes to ask questions.  Everything is why, or, how come?  And Becca," Tommy bent over at the waist as a wave of dizziness washed over him, "she's just like me.  Always with the smart remark.  She has to have the last word.  He's going to hit them and I'm not there to protect them." Tommy began to cry, “I'm their dad, I'm supposed to protect them."

"We're going to find them," Quentin said with certainty.

Tommy didn't doubt that they would hunt Malcolm to the ends of the earth to get their children back, but he feared it wouldn’t be soon enough. "Not before it's too late." Not before his father taught his children to be afraid.

"Bobby's not stupid.  He reads people real well." Quentin squeezed Tommy's shoulder.  "He's going to be on his best behavior and so will Becca.  Malcolm wants those kids to like him.  He's going to be on his best behavior too."

"I want to believe that," Tommy admitted.  More than anything he wanted to believe his children weren't going to experience the back of his father's hand.

"So, believe it." Quentin hugged his son-in law, "Everyone needs you to keep it together.  No one knows Malcolm better than you.  Where would he leave Nate and Prue?  Is there some place important to you or Oliver?  He wants you to find them."

Tommy closed his eyes as he tried to think like his dad.  If his dad wanted him to find the twins, he would pick a place of significance.  "Did anyone check the manor?" The Merlyn mansion was sold to the state in an auction after the Undertaking.  The state had done nothing with the house or property.

"We'll send someone out check.  Where else?" Quentin encouraged.

"I don't know.  We don't have a special place.  We had places we got high and made out, but my dad wouldn't know about them."

"Make a list," Quentin said.  "Your dad never approved of your relationship with Oliver.  He might pick a place where you two would go to be alone."

"The Queen boathouse and Bay Point," Tommy supplied.  "My dad was never home," Tommy responded to Quentin's incredulous look.  "We had free run of the house."

"I’ll get folks looking at these places.  Try and think of anywhere else, in case those two don't pan out."

Tommy followed Quentin out of the bathroom.  Oliver and Felicity were sitting on the edge of the bed.  The door softly closed behind Quentin, leaving the three of them alone for the first time since their nightmare began.

"Anything?" Tommy asked Felicity.

"They either turned off or changed the transponder on the plane.  I'm searching airfields all over the world for the plane's tail number, but nothing so far."

"Doesn’t ARGUS have any intel on where Malcolm’s new safe houses are located?" Tommy asked. “I thought Waller was keeping an eye on him.”

“ARGUS sent agents to check out the places they knew of,” Oliver answered. “He has to surface eventually and we’ll find him when he does.”

"This isn't your fault," Felicity rose from the bed and crossed to his side.  "You're not responsible for Malcolm's choices."

Tommy put distance between himself and his spouses, "No, but I am responsible for mine."

"Tommy," Oliver sighed.

"I've known this day was coming and I just ignored it.  That day in the playground, he practically told me he was going to take them one day.  The only surprise is that he didn't kill me first." Tommy looked around their bedroom, "Have we swept for bugs?  He's probably watching and laughing at us."

“John and Lyla swept the whole house yesterday,” Felicity answered.

"We need to get some sleep." When Tommy went to protest, Oliver qualified, "Just an hour or two."

He was exhausted, but wired with nervous energy. "I can’t sleep," Tommy said.  "Can you?"

"There's nothing for us to do right now.  When Felicity's search comes back with a location, we’ll be on the move.  We need to rest while we can."

Tommy agreed with Oliver’s logic, but it still felt wrong.  They didn't know where their children were.  It felt wrong to lay down on his bed when they weren’t down the hall safely tucked into theirs.  For the first time since Bobby was born, he hadn't sung any lullabies or read any bedtime stories.  There hadn’t been any last minute requests for a glass of water or a backrub.

"They're coming home," Oliver promised.  He wrapped his arms around his spouses, "We will bring them home."

Tommy pulled stiffly from his spouse’s arms, “I can’t sleep. I’m going to sit downstairs.”

Tommy was taken completely off guard when Oliver turned around and shoved him, hard. “Ollie,” he said in surprise.

“Hit me,” Oliver said as he shoved Tommy again.

“Stop it,” Tommy hissed. He wasn’t in the mood for Oliver’s tried and true method for getting him to redirect his anger.

Oliver shoved him again.

Tommy placed his hands on Oliver’s chest and pushed.

“Hit me,” Oliver instructed.

“I’m not going to hit you,” Tommy said as his hands trembled with anger.

Oliver pushed Tommy’s shoulder, “Hit me.”

“Please, stop,” Tommy tried to step around his husband.

Oliver backed Tommy against the wall, “Your father took our children. He staged an accident and stole our children.”

Fury burst from Tommy’s chest and he shoved Oliver away.

“They’re probably crying right now. Calling for you,” Oliver taunted.

Tommy threw a punch that Oliver easily blocked.

“He’s laughing at you right now. He’s taken everything from you and he’s laughing about how weak you are.” Oliver shoved him again, “This is your fault. If you’d killed him when you had the chance, they would be safe in their beds.”

Oliver deflected another punch. Tommy lost the ability to think as his anger consumed him. He used all the training Dig and Roy had given him about throwing a punch, but he was still unable to land one blow. Oliver weaved and ducked as he allowed his husband to vent his frustration and anger until there was nothing left.

All of these years, Oliver had feared being a danger to their children and it turned out that Tommy was the real threat. Tommy should never have become a father. His desire to have a family had been pure selfishness. He never thought about the time bomb that was waiting to go off. Of course his father would take his children. Tommy should only be surprised that it hadn’t happened sooner.

His anger left as quickly as it came and was replaced with fear. “What if he hurts them?” Tommy voiced his real concern. “They don’t know to make themselves small and quiet. Bobby will challenge him. He’ll ask questions until he gets answers. He’ll hit Bobby for asking too many questions.” Tommy’s legs gave way and he sat on the edge of their bed, “Oh, god, he’s going to hit our son.”

Oliver knelt in front of him, “This isn’t your fault.”

“I should’ve killed him before the Undertaking,” Tommy said.

“And I should’ve killed him in Nanda Parbat. I should’ve gone after him and killed him when he set me up for killing the men who assaulted you, when he set you up with social services, or when he threatened you and the kids in the park. This is just as much your fault as mine.”

“No, he’s my dad. He’s my responsibility.”

Oliver clasped the back of Tommy’s neck, “Where would he go? Where would he take them? I need you to think. No one knows Malcolm as well as you do.”

“Oliver,” Felicity said sharply. When she had her husbands’ attention she turned her tablet to face them, “The plane is back in Starling.”

“He came back to the Starling?” Tommy asked with disbelief. “He’d never put himself on Oliver’s turf.”

A knock softly rapped on their door. Felicity put her tablet down and sat on the edge of the bed. Oliver ran his hands through Tommy’s hair and smoothed out his husband’s shirt. “I need you to keep it together.”

“Yeah, okay,” Tommy agreed.

Oliver opened their bedroom door to reveal Agent Olsen, “The plane the kidnapper used just landed back in Starling. Our team is heading there now. We’ll let you know if we learn anything.”

“Thank you,” Oliver said and closed their door.

“We need eyes inside that plane,” Felicity stated the obvious to Oliver. “Malcolm basically said to follow the breadcrumbs.”

“You think the plane is a breadcrumb?” Tommy didn’t think his dad would make it that easy for them. He’d want them scrambling for days looking for the twins so he’d have enough time to disappear with B2.

“He wants us distracted,” Oliver reminded his spouses. “He’s going to lead us on a wild goose chase – starting with the plane.”

“I’m going to tell them we’re going with them,” Tommy said moving towards the door. “Explain that we might recognize a breadcrumb.”

Tommy ran down the stairs after the agent. It was suddenly clear to him. If there was a clue onboard the plane, it would be one only he would recognize. Malcolm was playing a game and Tommy was the only other player.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I hope you're still speaking to me.
> 
> Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com 
> 
> In honor of the 100th installment, I posted a timeline for this series on tumblr.


	3. Acetabularii

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver, Felicity and Tommy begin to follow the breadcrumbs Malcolm is leaving for them. They begin to wonder if the breadcrumbs are a trail to the twins or to the end of Tommy's sanity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your enthusiasm for this installment has been amazing. Thank you!

Felicity stood on the tarmac between her husbands as they watched the FBI agents and the forensics team come and go from the private jet Malcolm had used to steal away her babies. She was frustrated that they’d been sidelined and were being simultaneously being treated like victims and criminals. It was clear that they had lingering doubts about Tommy because they mistook the guilt he was feeling for culpability. The FBI had no idea who they were dealing with or that Oliver Queen was the best equipped to hunt down Malcolm and bring their children home. She shivered in the cold February air and Oliver pulled her into his side. The warmth Oliver radiated through his coat was comforting but made her feel guilty. She had no idea if her children were warm, but she was certain that they were afraid. She pressed her forehead into Oliver’s jacket in an attempt to regain her composure. She couldn’t fall apart. Her children needed her to be calm and logical.

John, William and Roy were tracking down the pilot who’d flown the jet back into Starling. The pilot’s name on the flight plan was fake, but he did pop on her facial recognition software. He was a retired navy pilot and he lived in Starling. She hoped the rest of her team was going to quickly find out where the plane had been because she was losing faith that the FBI could do anything efficiently or effectively.

Agent Schultz stepped out of the plane with an evidence bag in his hand.

“They found something,” Felicity said with hope. If Malcolm was playing a game with them, he’d be leaving them clues.

“So far, the plane looks clean.” Schultz held out the evidence bag that contained what appeared to be a floral-patterned piece of satin, “We did find this. I don’t’ want to alarm you, but there is a small amount of blood that we’re going to test.”

Felicity bit her lip to keep herself from crying out. She wondered which of her children had been hurt and she prayed that Tommy was wrong and that Malcolm wouldn’t hurt the children.

Tommy reached a shaking hand toward the evidence bag. “Don’t bother. It’s my blood,” he said barely above a whisper. “This was my mom’s.”

Tommy dropped his hand and closed his eyes. His head tilted to the side and pain marred his features. He was remembering something and Felicity was filled with dread. She suddenly wondered if Malcolm’s only reason for taking their children was to finally destroy his son’s sanity.

“Tommy,” Oliver said gently.

Tommy remained motionless, lost in his thoughts.

“Tommy,” Oliver said firmly.

Tommy’s eyes opened, “I think I know where he wants us to go next.”

 

The nightlight from his bathroom was the first thing Tommy saw when he opened his eyes. He laid staring at the wedge of light as he tried to identify what had awakened him. He didn’t need to go to the bathroom. He hadn’t had a bad dream. He reached out with his senses and then he felt it, a presence. Someone was in the room with him. He slowly rolled onto his back and scanned his room. It wasn’t until his eyes reached the door to the hall that he saw the silhouette. His heart began to hammer in his chest. The shape wasn’t the familiar round outline of Mrs. Ferguson, but that of a man.

“Hello,” he whispered into the darkness, “who’s there?”

The overhead light flipped on and Tommy’s eyes slammed shut at the brightness.

“Hello, Tommy,” said a voice Tommy barely remembered.

Tommy blinked his eyes as they adjusted to the light. Slowly, his eyes came into focus and the man took a familiar shape, “Dad?”

“Yes, son, I’m home,” Malcolm smiled.

Tommy kicked back the covers and practically fell as he climbed from the bed. He ran across the room and threw himself into his father’s arms, “You’re home.”

Malcolm’s arms wrapped around his son and cradled the back of his head, “I’m home, Tommy.”

Tommy tilted his head back and rested his chin on his dad’s sternum. His father went out of focus as tears filled his eyes, “I missed you, dad. Don’t ever go away again.”

“I missed you too,” Malcolm brushed Tommy’s curls from his eyes. He held Tommy at arm’s length, “Let me get a look at you.”

Tommy stepped back and stood tall with his head held high. He’d grown two inches the past summer and he was proud of them. He wasn’t nearly as tall as Oliver, but he was no longer the shortest boy in his sixth grade class.

Malcolm surveyed him from head to toe as he took the measure of his son, “You’re still small for your age. Your hair is too long. Tomorrow, you’re going for a haircut. Breakfast will be at six. I expect you at the dining room table, dressed for the day, at exactly six. If you’re late, you won’t eat until you learn to be on time.”

“What?” Tommy asked with confusion. “Tomorrow’s Saturday.” Nobody ate breakfast at six on a Saturday. He normally spent his entire weekend at the Queens, and they never had breakfast at six on a weekend. Usually, they were fed breakfast on trays as they watched cartoons in Oliver’s room. The only reason he wasn’t with the Queens was because Oliver was sick with the flu and Tommy had been asked to stay home, for his own sake.

“Are you questioning me?” Malcolm bellowed. “I won’t be questioned in my own home.”

Tommy flinched at his dad’s raised voice. His dad had never yelled at him before and he didn’t like it. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end and he did his best not to shrink under his dad’s gaze.

“You will speak when spoken to,” Malcolm lowered his voice but his tone made him sound dangerous, “and you will do what I say, when I tell you to do it.”

“Yes, sir,” Tommy stammered.

“Six – don’t be late,” Malcolm growled before turning out the light and walking out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Tommy stood momentarily stunned. He wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. It had been four years since his dad’s disappearance. He hadn’t heard anything from his dad, except occasional messages delivered by the family lawyers. He pinched himself hard and the pain convinced him he was awake. He’d longed for the return of the dad who read him bedtime stories and flew model helicopters in the backyard. The dad in his memories never raised his voice or threatened to withhold meals. He returned to his bed and set his alarm for five the next morning. He wanted to be on time for breakfast. Once he was back under his covers he hugged a pillow close to his chest. Mrs. Ferguson had turned his mom’s favorite nightgown into a pillowcase and she sprayed it with his mom’s perfume after every washing. Tommy rubbed his cheek against the smooth satin and inhaled deeply. The comforting scent of his mother filled his nostrils and he slowly drifted off to sleep.

 

Tommy ran across the overgrown lawns of the Merlyn estate like his father was on his heels. He ignored the shouts of Oliver, Felicity and the FBI agents as he ran towards the river. There was a tall stand of trees that he and Oliver had spent hours playing in when they were younger. His parents had built a treehouse for them as a surprise the summer before they started kindergarten. The treehouse was still standing, albeit, worse for wear. As he skidded to a halt he cried out, “Prue. Nate.” When he didn’t hear a reply he began to look for a way up. The old wooden ladder didn’t look like it would support his weight. He backed up and ran straight at the tree. He used the trunk for leverage and launched himself at the lowest bough of the tree. He hauled himself onto the limb and stood with his arms braced around the trunk. He slowly began to climb the tree towards the railing of the treehouse. “Prue. Nate,” he called again. “It’s dada. Say something,” he pleaded. The temperature had been unseasonably cold and he feared the twins had been exposed to the elements overnight. He was grateful there hadn’t been any rain.

“Tommy,” Oliver shouted from below. “Be careful. It’s got to be rotted through by now.”

“Are they up there?” Felicity asked with barely contained hope.

“I don’t know,” Tommy shouted down to his wife.

He tried to block out the voices below him. He could hear Oliver arguing with Agent Shultz. The agent wanted one of his men to climb after Tommy, but Oliver was telling Schultz that a thirty-eight-year-old treehouse wouldn’t be able to support the weight of two adults. Tommy thought Oliver was being optimistic thinking the rotting structure could hold the weight of one adult.

Tommy hung from a branch over the deck of the treehouse and said a prayer that the structure would bear his weight.

“Be careful,” Oliver called up to him.

Tommy released his grip and tried to drop as gently as he could. The treehouse groaned under his weight, but it remained firmly beneath his feet. He gingerly walked the perimeter of the small house he and Oliver had shared many adventures in. “Prue. Nate,” he called again. “Talk to dada.”

A small window with real glass was still in one piece but full of so much grime he was unable to see inside the house. He continued to mind his step as he approached the entrance to the house. A board snapped beneath his feet and it plummeted to the ground. Felicity let out a small shriek. “I’m all right,” he tried to reassure his wife. “I’m all right.”

Once inside the house, he knew someone had recently been inside, but there was no sign of the twins. “They’re not here,” he called down.

“Are you sure?” Felicity called back.

He looked around the open floor plan that was covered with vegetation and debris. There wasn’t any place for the children to hide, “I’m sure.”

Tommy could hear Agent Schultz on the radio instructing for the abandoned mansion to be searched. He could’ve sworn that the material from his mom’s nightgown had been a clue. His dad had tried to take the pillowcase away from him when he was twelve because Malcolm had thought it was pathetic for his son to have a version of a security blanket. Malcolm had slapped Tommy so hard, he’d bit the inside of his cheek hard enough to fill his mouth with blood. He had grabbed the pillowcase and run. Tommy had taken the pillowcase and hid it in the treehouse amongst his secret treasures.

Realizing where his dad must’ve gotten the bloody pillowcase from, Tommy carefully approached the center of the treehouse where the trunk was growing through it. He reached between the trunk and the frame and felt for a hollow opening in the trunk. He tentatively stuck his hand inside the hole and had to bite his lip from crying out in triumph when his hand landed on a plastic cylinder. He retrieved the cylinder, that was slightly larger than the cylinders banks sent through pneumatic tubes, and shoved it inside his coat. “Coming down,” he announced.

Tommy carefully climbed down the tree. Once he was on the ground, he turned his back to Agent Schultz and tried to look visibly upset.

The brush crackled under Oliver’s approaching feet. Oliver’s arm tenderly wrapped around his husband’s shoulder and he placed a kiss to his temple, “We’ll find them.”

Tommy turned into Oliver, as if he were seeking comfort. He tucked his head against Oliver’s neck and pressed their chests together. He knew the moment Oliver recognized the foreign object pressed against him. Tommy whispered, “You’ve got to get us out of here so we can open it without them.”

Felicity’s hand landed gently on the center of his back. “Babe, are you okay?” she asked so tenderly it was all Tommy could do to keep from crying.

“We’re going home,” Oliver informed her. “Wait here while I speak with Shultz. Don’t move.”

“What’s going on?” she asked Tommy as soon as she saw his face.

He placed her hand against his chest so she could feel the cylinder, “I think he left us another clue.”

Felicity glanced at Oliver and Shultz, “The sooner we ditch the feds, the better.”

Tommy smiled at her, forcing levity he didn’t feel, “Ollie’s really corrupted you.”

“What can I say? I like bending the law,” she winked as she played along.

Oliver gestured for them to walk over. Felicity wrapped her arms around Tommy’s waist and clung to him as if her legs were unable to bear her weight.

“We’ll let you know if we find anything in the house,” Agent Shultz shook Oliver’s hand.

“Thank you,” Oliver told the agent. He put his arm around Felicity’s shoulders and guided them back towards the driveway. “What did you find?”

“I didn’t open it,” Tommy answered. “Let’s walk faster.”

“We can’t,” Oliver informed his husband. “We’re being watched. I told them that you were distraught and in desperate need of sleep. If we move with purpose, they’ll put a tail on us.”

“I think they’re going to put a tail on us anyway,” Felicity answered.

“I’ll lose them,” Oliver said confidently.

“I don’t think us disappearing is going to improve or relationship with the feds,” Tommy reasoned. “We can’t be fighting a war on two fronts.”

“Agreed,” Oliver said. “Let’s wait and see if Malcolm left us a clue. We can decide what to do next, once we know what we’re facing.”

As soon as they got to the car, Tommy climbed into the back of Oliver’s SUV with Felicity. The rear of the SUV had tinted windows to protect the children from photographers and had the added benefit of shielding him if there were any curious FBI agents watching them from the mansion. He removed the cylinder from his coat and unscrewed the lid. He gently tipped the contents of the cylinder on the seat between him and Felicity.

“Does anything look out of place?” Oliver asked from the driver’s seat. He was turned around in his seat and was eying the contents of the cylinder.

Tommy’s fingers trailed over the individual items – matchbox cars, action figures, a dozen photographs, a folded piece of yellowed paper, several joints in a plastic bag and a lighter. He unfolded the piece of paper. It was the original hand written copy of the love poem he’d written Oliver their senior year of high school. He handed it to Felicity, and sank back against his seat in defeat. Felicity handed the paper to Oliver, who smiled and then tucked the paper into his wallet. “The pillowcase was in here. I thought for sure he would’ve left me another clue behind.”

“Maybe he did, babe,” Felicity encouraged. “Do you remember putting all these items in here?”

“Look at the photos,” Oliver instructed. “The cars, action men and joints won’t point us anywhere.”

Tommy sorted through the photos. There was a picture of his mom laughing on the Sunnybrook, looking young and very much alive. There was a picture of Tommy with Beth Miller at a party the night before she broke up with him. He’d liked to torture himself with that picture when he tried to convince himself how worthless he was. A picture of a sixteen-year-old Oliver taken when he’d just gotten out of the pool caused Tommy’s cheeks to turn pink as he remembered how that picture used to make him feel. It had inspired some not very innocent solo behavior in the treehouse. Felicity took the picture from him and gave him a knowing look. He shrugged his shoulders because whatever his wife was thinking, she was right. His hand landed on a photograph of his grandparent’s beach cottage. He tapped the edge of the photo against his lips.

“What?” Oliver asked.

“I don’t remember this photo,” Tommy handed it to Oliver. “These other pictures are of people – people who were important to me. That is just their cottage.”

“Whose cottage?” Felicity asked.

“My grandparents’. My mom’s parents.”

“Do we own a beach house?” Felicity asked. “Not to be funny, but was this house part of your trust?”

Tommy shook his head, “No, when my grandparents died, they left it to my parents. After the Undertaking, it was seized like everything else that wasn’t in my trust.”

“How far away is the house?” Felicity asked.

“It’s a five hour drive,” Tommy answered.

Oliver and Felicity locked eyes. She pulled her cell from her bag, “The helicopter will be waiting for us by the time we get to QC.”

 

The helicopter landed on the expansive lawn of what Tommy referred to as the cottage, but anyone else would call a mansion. It had been nearly forty years since Oliver had last visited and he was trying to bring forward any memories that still lurked in the recesses of his mind. The room he’d shared with Tommy had been at the back of the house. Their parents had rooms that faced the beach. He could remember lying on the lawn with Tommy and splashing in tidal pools as their dads held their hands.

On the flight from Starling, Felicity had discovered that the house had been purchased at auction by a Silicon Valley millionaire who only used the house during the summer. It would be an ideal location for Malcolm to hide Prue and Nate.

Oliver held Felicity’s hand as they climbed the front porch. He put his hand over his eyes and peered through the front door, “There’s an alarm, it’s armed.”

Felicity scooted in front of him and examined the device. She pulled out her tablet and began to tap on it. “Give me a minute,” she told him.

He turned to say something to Tommy, but realized his husband wasn’t on the porch. He looked back the way they’d come and saw Tommy standing on the lawn, staring at the house. Leaving Felicity to disarm the alarm, Oliver joined his husband. Tommy was pale and the purple shadows beneath his eyes looked like bruises. “Everything all right?”

“This isn’t right,” Tommy said without taking his eyes from the house. “He wouldn’t bring them here. If they were here, there would be guards, right?”

“Maybe he’s left us another clue,” Oliver said softly. “Where would he leave you a clue?”

“This place doesn’t mean anything to me,” Tommy said dispassionately. “I mean, I loved my grandparents, but they died when we were six. We never came back here after they were gone. My memories of this place are,” he closed his eyes, “indistinct. What I remember could easily be a dream. They’re more like feelings. I can remember the warmth of the sun on my face and the sound of the ocean as I fell asleep at night, but if you asked me to name a place that was special to me, this place wouldn’t be on the list.”

Oliver squeezed Tommy’s arm and waited for his husband to open his eyes, “Malcolm never knew you or understood you. Maybe he thinks this place is important to you.”

Tommy looked doubtful, “He knew where I kept my treehouse treasure, surely he’d know whether this place means anything to me.”

“He left a picture of this place as a clue, we’ve come this far, we should take a look around.” Oliver laced his fingers with his husband’s, “Come on.”

“Beauty of these dotcom millionaires is they over rely on technology. It’s a smart house. It’s just not as smart as me.” Felicity stood in front of the door and tapped a button, “Open sesame.”

There was a distinct click as the front door unlocked. Oliver held out a hand in caution and removed a handgun from the waistband of his jeans. “Stay behind me,” he instructed as he slowly opened the front door.

“Where should we look first?” Felicity asked as she stepped inside. “This place is huge.”

“What do you think, buddy?” Oliver turned to his husband. “Your old room.”

Tommy shrugged, “As good a place as any.”

They climbed the stairs to the second story and proceeded to the back of the house. Oliver went to open a door, but Tommy grabbed his sleeve, “No, it was that room.”

Oliver looked down the corridor to where Tommy was pointing. “You sure?”

Tommy stepped around Oliver and walked down the corridor. “I remember where my bedroom was,” he said as he threw open the door.

Oliver and Felicity followed Tommy into the room. “It’s a lot pinker than I remember,” Oliver said as he took in the two canopy beds covered in Disney Princess characters.

“This was a mistake,” Tommy said quietly. “We’re not going to find anything here. He’s just leading me around by the nose. We’re not going to find them by following his clues.”

“What are you saying?” Felicity’s voice trembled, “Are you giving up?”

Tommy’s eyes flashed with anger, “I will never give up on our children. I’m just done playing his game.”

“Tommy,” Oliver pointed to one of the canopy beds. Sitting on the pillow was a model sailboat.

“The Sunnybrook,” Tommy whispered.

Oliver’s phone rang, “It’s Dig.” He put the phone on speaker, “Hey, John.”

“Where are you? The feds are going nuts. You’re not answering your phones and they’re unable to locate your signals.” John informed them.

“We thought we had a lead – it didn’t pan out,” Oliver told his partner. “Did you guys find out anything?”

“The pilot said they made one stop and all four of the kids got off the plane and boarded a second jet,” John recounted.

“Where did they switch planes?” Felicity asked.

“Los Angeles,” John responded. “The pilot doesn’t remember the other jet’s tail number, but he did say she was built for overseas trips. I’m sending you the details regarding takeoffs and landings. Lyla’s already running searches.”

“What do you want me to tell the FBI?” John asked.

“Tell them we needed some time alone and that we’ll be home in two hours,” Oliver responded.

“You know they are suspicious as hell of the three of you?” John sounded tired.

“It couldn’t be helped,” Oliver said in lieu of an explanation. “Ask Lyla to ask Waller to get them off our back.”

“If she pulls them out, you know she’s going to want a favor. I thought we were done with her,” John reminded him.

Oliver’s friend was right, but he was willing to trade whatever Amanda wanted if it got the bureau off his back so he could find his children, “Please, John. Ask Lyla to speak with Amanda.”

“Lyla will be my next call,” John promised. “Keep me updated.”

Oliver returned his cell to his pocket and turned to his spouses, “We’ve got Malcolm’s next clue, let’s get back. We can swing by the marina on our way home.”

Tommy stood staring out the window, “Bobby said the twins got off the plane first.”

“So?” Felicity asked.

“We’ve made the assumption that the twins getting off the plane first meant they were separated from B2. What if it only means Bobby thinks they’ve been separated?” Tommy turned to face his spouses holding a small sailboat that looked like the Sunnybrook. “Maybe my dad wanted Bobby to think the twins weren’t there so that Bobby would tell us that. He wanted us distracted and this wild goose chase has kept us from looking for him.”

Felicity took the boat from Tommy’s hand, “Was this yours? Is it another clue?”

“It used to be on my dresser growing up. I don’t know what happened to it,” Tommy told his wife while looking at Oliver. “This isn’t a lead, it’s a misdirect. He calls us and the jet returns to Starling. That can’t be a coincidence. He’s been pulling the strings and we’ve been too busy running around going where he sends us to stop and think.”

“You know what I can’t stop thinking about?” Felicity asked as she ran her fingers over the model boat’s hull. “Bobby complaining about Eun’s cooking. He loves eating at Siu’s.”

Oliver wouldn’t put it past their son to draw attention to his statement by making it an obvious lie. “Yi is from Hong Kong. Eun is from Seoul. She cooks both Chinese and Korean.”

“He loves her cooking, but he hates kimchi,” Tommy leaned against the dresser.

“Do you think they’re in South Korea?” Felicity asked Oliver.

“It’s not an easy place for a man to blend in with three blonde children,” Oliver said as he tried to think what would draw Malcolm to South Korea and prayed that he hadn’t decided to hide in North Korea.

“It doesn’t have to be kimchi, just anything pickled or fermented,” Tommy pointed out. “Could be Scandinavia. They’d blend in easier.”

“If we can list out places that ferment food and cross reference with locations of Lazarus Pits, we might have a place to start looking,” Felicity said hopefully.

“Let’s head back,” Oliver held out his hand to Felicity. “We need to figure out where we’ve been and plant a trail for the feds. Even if this is a misdirect, I want to stop at the marina before we head home.”

Oliver felt hopeful as he helped his spouses back into the helicopter. He would much rather chase a lead from their son, than follow another misdirect from Malcolm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day. I'm having fun reading your theories.
> 
> I apologize for all of the angst the missing children are causing you. I promise, everything will be okay. Reread, Saturdays with the Green Arrow, if you need a reminder of the good times.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


	4. Equivoque

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity's first mistake was to stop moving. With their investigation stalled, Felicity is left alone with her thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your enthusiasm for this series. I'm loving all of your theories and speculations.

The moonlight bathed the nursery in a silvery light. Felicity cuddled a plush penguin against her chest as she rocked slowly. There still wasn’t any trace of Malcolm or the plane he’d used when he flew out of Los Angeles. Sara and Nyssa had yet to respond to her messages regarding Lazarus Pit locations in South Korea or Scandinavia. The Feds were shutting them out after their little disappearing trick to the beach house. There were two agents camped out in their living room in case Malcolm called again, or Oliver, Tommy and Felicity tried to sneak out. Lyla had promised to speak with Waller, but the head of ARGUS hadn’t returned her calls. The Sunnybrook had been a dead end. The search for their children was stalled. Sleep was elusive. All Felicity was left with were her thoughts about her children.

Felicity looked towards the door when she heard the creak of a floorboard in the hallway. Oliver always stepped on it when he didn’t want to startle her. His shadow fell across the rug.

“Are you all right?” Oliver knelt in front of her.

“Where’s Tommy?”

“Asleep.”

Felicity raised her eyebrows incredulously, “You got him to lay down?”

Oliver looked away guiltily, “I didn’t give him much of a choice. I gave him a sedative instead of aspirin for his headache.”

Felicity knew she should be outraged on Tommy’s behalf, but she didn’t actually disagree with Oliver’s decision. “He needs the sleep,” she stroked his cheek, “so do you.”

Oliver hummed his agreement and placed his hand over hers on the penguin, “You need to get some sleep too.”

“I keep thinking that we just missed them,” Felicity whispered into the darkness.

“They were never on the boat,” Oliver’s voice sounded strained with exhaustion.

“Nate had his penguin in his car seat when they took him and we found it on the Sunnybrook,” tears slipped from her eyes.

“They were never on the boat,” Oliver repeated. “Malcolm is messing with us.”

She laughed bitterly, “Well, it’s working.”

“Felicity,” Oliver caressed his wife’s cheek.

“I honestly don’t know what to hope for,” she gazed into her husband’s tired eyes. “Do I hope the twins are still with Malcolm because I feel better thinking all four of them are together, or, do I hope some mercenaries have the twins and they’re going to contact us for a big pay day?”

“I think Tommy is right. I think Malcolm still has the twins with him. They are additional leverage he can use against us.” Oliver rested his head on her lap, “You should try and get some sleep. You’re exhausted too.”

Felicity ran her fingers through Oliver’s hair, “I was sitting here and remembering the day we brought the twins home. It was the first time I saw what you both did to the nursery. I remember thinking how magical it looked and then Bobby made sure that I knew that the murals were inaccurate.”

The north wall of the nursery had a polar bear and her two cubs sitting on an ice flow beneath a full moon. The south wall had penguins swimming in the ocean with light shining through the ice. Inquisitive seals poked their heads over cribs and changing tables.

Oliver’s chest rumbled against her legs as he laughed, “He was really upset with us. I can’t tell you how many times he showed Tommy and me articles about polar bears and penguins and how they live on separate poles.”

The memory of her family all gathered in the nursery as they placed Nate and Prue in their cribs for the first time made her chest ache. She missed her children. She felt empty without them. “Do you think the twins know I love them?” Felicity managed to ask without crying.

Oliver lifted his head to look at his wife, “Of course they know you love them.”

“What if they don’t?” Felicity began to cry. “What if they think this is happening because I don’t love them and don’t want them anymore?”

“Felicity,” he wiped the steady stream of tears from her eyes, “all four of our children know that you love them and they love you.”

“But, I didn’t love them – not the way they deserved - not for nine months,” she began to sob. Those long dark months of her postpartum depression had isolated her from her infants. Her depression was gone, but the guilt she felt about having depression still lingered. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d failed the twins and, somehow, they knew it. “What if all they remember about me is that I didn’t comfort them when they cried, or, that I didn’t feed them when they were hungry?”

“Hon,” Oliver pulled Felicity onto his lap on the floor, “our babies are so loved and they know it.”

“They’ve been gone for three nights,” she clung to her husband, “what if they forget about me? What if they don’t recognize me when they get home?”

Oliver pulled his phone from his pocket and pulled up a video, “Look how loved they are. Look how much they love you.”

Felicity took hold of his cell and watched the video he was playing for her. It was from the week before. Felicity had gotten home early and had given the twins their baths. The twins were running around the nursery naked and laughing. Felicity was kneeling on the floor with their diapers and pajamas. The twins kept running up to her and then would run away shrieking with laughter. When the twins got close on their fourth approach, Felicity swooped them into her arms and lowered onto her back. The twins wriggled above her, shouting, “Mommy,” through their laughter. Felicity peppered their faces with kisses as she tickled their sides.

Felicity watched the video twice before looking at her husband, “I didn’t know you were there.”

“I could hear you guys laughing and I came to see what was so funny. The three of you were so happy, it made me happy. I decided to record it so I’d always be able to recapture that feeling.” Oliver took his cell back and tapped the screen, “I just sent it to you.”

“Thank you,” she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder. The video had made her happy, but the silence of the nursery filled her with grief. “What if we don’t find them? What if our babies are really gone forever?”

“Listen to me,” Oliver said firmly. “We are going to bring home all four of our children. Malcolm always underestimates us and this time is no different. He thinks that we’ll turn on each other by separating the children.”

Felicity agreed with Oliver’s assessment, “He believes that you will choose the twins over Tommy and B2.”

“I think we should make him think he’s right,” Oliver said cautiously.

“What?”

“Malcolm has always believed that our relationship was built on quicksand. He always told Tommy that I would grow bored and leave him and that you’d pick me over him. He told Tommy that I love the twins more than Bobby and Becca.”

“Oliver, none of that is true.”

He nodded, “I know that. You know that. Tommy knows that. Malcolm doesn’t. He’s not capable of love. How could he understand?”

“You want Malcolm to believe that we are ending things with Tommy?” Felicity asked. Oliver was an excellent tactician, but this plan didn’t feel right.

“Yes,” he said gently against her ear.

“He’ll never agree to this,” Felicity said with certainty.

“I’ll convince him that this is the right thing,” Oliver promised.

Felicity couldn’t stop thinking about her other husband. Tommy had spent the past four days in a completely altered state. His emotions were all over the place. “Maybe we shouldn’t ask this of him. He’s in a bad place. I’m worried about him. What if Malcolm finally breaks him?”

“We won’t let Malcolm break him. We just need a plan,” Oliver insisted.

Felicity shifted on his lap so she could look at her husband, “If we knew how to get in touch with Malcolm, we’d already have the kids back.”

Oliver’s fingers flexed on her hips, “Malcolm is doing this to get Tommy’s attention. He enjoys watching Tommy suffer. He won’t be satisfied if he can’t see the effect he’s having.”

Felicity pointed towards the front of the house, “We have fifty news crews camped out on our street. All he needs is a screen and Wi-Fi and he can watch Tommy suffer from the comfort of his hideout.”

“He’ll get back in touch. He won’t be able to resist,” Oliver insisted. He shifted beneath her and pulled her to her feet as he stood up. “Come to bed.”

Felicity was exhausted, but it felt wrong to close her eyes, “I’m not tired.”

“I don’t want Tommy to wake up alone. He sleeps better if you’re next to him,” Oliver said innocently.

She narrowed her eyes, “I see what you did there.”

“Is it working?” he asked sheepishly.

“It is, if you promise to lay down with us,” she answered.

Oliver laced his fingers with Felicity’s and she followed him back to their bed with Nate’s penguin still tucked in her arm.

Oliver was lifting the blankets on his side of the bed for Felicity to slip in, when the sound of footsteps on the stairs had them both turning towards their door. They returned to the hallway and found William shuffling down the stairs from the third floor with his cell in his hand. His eyes were heavy with sleep and he was pulling a t-shirt on.

“Everything okay?” Oliver asked his son. William had been staying with them at the request of the FBI. William was being mobbed by the paparazzi every time he left the house and he hadn’t returned to school since the day his siblings were abducted.

William held out his cell, “I got a weird message from Emma.”

“Emma?” Felicity stood on her toes to look over Oliver’s arm to see the message. “Is she all right?”

Oliver didn’t know what he’d been expecting, but it wasn’t what he just read. As far as he knew, Emma had a serious boyfriend. He looked at his son, “I take it, late night booty calls aren’t normal for you two?”

William blushed, “They aren’t and, if they were, do you think Emma would come here for one while this is going on?”

The answer was obvious and Oliver didn’t think he needed to answer. Emma was thoughtful and level-headed and would never show up at their home in the middle of the night for a sex romp.

“It must be important,” Felicity said as she read Emma’s message again. _Can’t sleep. Can you? All I can think about is you. I’m on my way over now. Meet me at the front door so the FBI doesn’t shoot._

“I’m going to go down and wait for her,” William yawned.

Oliver went to follow, but Felicity took hold of his arm, “The FBI might think it’s odd if we tagged along for the booty call.”

Oliver rubbed his eyes, “Right. They think our family is messed up enough as it is.”

“We’ll wait here,” Felicity told her step-son.

“Should we wake Tommy?” Oliver asked when William had descended the stairs.

“How strong a sedative did you give him?”

“Enough to knock him out,” Oliver replied. In truth, it was one benzo, but Tommy had been exhausted and it didn’t take much to send him to sleep.

“We should try. He wasn’t happy we kept the Lazarus Pit from him.”

“Did he say something to you?” Tommy hadn’t said a word about it to him, but he hadn’t really needed to. Betrayal had been written all over his face when the FBI had handed him the stack of photos.

“We need to wake him up,” she said simply.

Oliver sighed and returned to their bedroom. The last thing either of them wanted to do was wake up their exhausted and emotionally compromised husband. He sat on the edge of the bed and turned on the lamp on Tommy’s nightstand. “Tommy,” he rubbed his husband’s chest. Tommy didn’t stir, “Tommy,” Oliver ran his finger’s down Tommy’s cheek. When Oliver still didn’t get a response, he turned to his wife.

She bit her lip and looked torn. “There’s one surefire way of waking him up, but I don’t know if he’ll forgive me.”

Oliver was confused by her statement. He had no idea what she planned on doing.

“Da, wake up,” Felicity said in a girlish voice that sounded a lot like Becca.

Tommy’s eyes flew open and he sat straight up, “I’m up. What’s wrong?”

Oliver placed a steadying hand on Tommy’s arm, “It’s just us. I’m sorry we woke you.”

“Has something happened? Have you found them?” Tommy asked as he pushed the covers off his legs.

“No, we haven’t found them, but Emma is on her way over,” Felicity answered.

“Emma?” he asked as he ran his fingers through his hair. “Are the reporters harassing her again?”

“We don’t know what’s going on. She texted William to say she was on her way over,” Oliver answered.

“Do you think Bobby called her?” Tommy asked as he sluggishly got out of bed. He swayed on his feet and Oliver’s hand shot out to steady him.

“We’ll find out soon,” Oliver stood up.

Tommy pressed the heel of his hands against his eyes, “I need to splash water on my face. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

The front door opened and closed. The murmur of William’s voice drifted up the stairs. Oliver stepped out of their room to intercept William and Emma. When they got to the top of the stairs he waved them over and pointed to his bedroom. He followed them into the room and closed the doors behind them.

Emma was dressed in her pajamas and it didn’t look like she’d even run a brush through her bright red hair before coming over. She opened her mouth and words just started to spill out. “My phone rang and it woke me up. The number was coming up as, unavailable, so I ignored it. When it rang a second time, I was going to turn my cell off, but then I thought, what’s if it’s Bobby? So, I answered.” She looked at Tommy, “The man on the phone told me he was Malcolm Merlyn and he was going to call back and I should let it go to voicemail. He said I should bring you the message right away and then he hung up before I could say anything. I texted William because I figured the FBI is monitoring your phones and it would look less suspicious for me to text William than you guys because he’s the Prince of Handsome and girls throw themselves at him all the time. What’s one more girl looking for her chance with the Prince?” Emma held out her phone with a shaking hand to Tommy, “I didn’t listen to it.”

Tommy took the phone and pressed play.

“Tommy, this is your father,” Malcolm said snidely. “I see you followed the trail I left you. Be at the next location by eleven this morning, or you’ll never see the twins again. Come alone. Leave the FBI and Team Arrow at home, or you’ll never see the twins again. Don’t be stupid. For once in your life, do as you’re told. What happens next is on you.”

Everyone stood in silence as Malcolm’s words seemed to hang in the air.

“What location?” Felicity asked in a panic. “We didn’t find a clue on the Sunnybrook.”

“Did Malcolm mention a location on his call?” Oliver asked Emma.

“No, he just said to give Tommy the message.”

“We must’ve missed something,” Oliver rubbed his forehead. “I’ll sneak past the FBI and search the boat again.”

“I’ll come with,” William volunteered. “Let me get dressed.”

“We’ll go through the attic and off the roof,” Oliver told his son. “I’ll meet you in five minutes.”

“The linens on the guest bed are clean,” Felicity told Emma, “It’s probably better if you stay the night.”

“Ollie,” Tommy whispered as he reached for the penguin in Felicity’s hand. He took the penguin and held it towards Oliver, “This is Nate’s penguin.”

“Yes, it’s Nate’s penguin,” Oliver said in the patient voice he used whenever Felicity had too much wine and made very obvious pronouncements.

Tommy thrust the penguin against Oliver’s chest.  “Ollie. It’s – A – Penguin.”

The significance of the penguin, slowly dawned on Oliver, “Son of a bitch.”

Oliver watched as Felicity had the same realization as her husbands.

“Did you ever tell him the story?” Felicity asked. “I thought Robert kept it quiet.”

Tommy scoffed, “How does my dad know anything?”

“Put together a plan. We need a way past the FBI if Waller doesn’t come through by morning,” Oliver instructed Felicity.

“That gives us less than eight hours,” Felicity said as she began to mentally create a list of everything they needed to do before sending Tommy into the field, _alone_. “I’ll call Dig.”

Oliver put his hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “Looks like you’re going to the zoo.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


	5. French Drop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy goes to the zoo to be reunited with the twins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for continued enthusiasm for this fic and the series.

Tommy sat on the patio stairs drinking his coffee. He’d escaped from the mission briefing, since his role was the most straight forward and least covert. He was watching Mia and Scott kick a soccer ball around the garden. As he watched his nephew score a goal, he had to remind himself that Scott was only three. He was taller than his five-year-old sister and was well coordinated. If Tommy didn’t know better, he would think Thea had an affair the night Scott was conceived. He looked nothing like his parents. He was fair with blonde hair and blue eyes. Scott was also built like a linebacker. The media said he looked like Oliver, but Tommy had the family photo albums that said differently. Oliver looked like Robert. Scott looked like Moira’s father, Jonas Dearden - Heisman trophy winner and former Governor of California. Diggle and Oliver were already planning for Scott’s career in the NFL.

The patio door opened and closed. Thea sat down next to Tommy and knocked her shoulder against his. Mia and Scott smiled and waved at their mom, but continued to play their game. “You don’t have to watch them.”

Tommy took hold of his sister’s hand, “I want to. If I close my eyes, I can pretend all of them are here too.”

“You’re going to get them back,” Thea squeezed his hand.

“Oliver and Felicity will find a way to bring them all home,” he said with confidence.

“Tommy?” There was an edge to her voice.

He took another sip of his coffee.

Thea slid onto the step below his and stared up at him, “What’s going on? You were a million miles away in there.”

“Nothing’s going on. I’m just anxious to get this over with,” he said truthfully. He was ready to be done with his dad’s game. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced that his dad intended to kill him at the zoo. “The twins are coming home today and Oliver and Felicity will find a way to bring home B2.”

Thea grabbed hold of his arm, “What aren’t you telling me? Did Malcolm say something else?”

“You know everything we know,” Tommy rested his forehead on her hand. “It’s Malcolm. I’m not expecting things to go according to plan. I want the twins home – I’m just nervous.”

“Have you told Ollie?”

Tommy looked up and smiled at his little sister, “I don’t need to tell Ollie. He knows what Malcolm’s capable of.”

Thea narrowed her eyes, “You think this is a trap? You think he’s setting you up?” When he remained silent. She continued, “To hurt you? To kill you?”

Tommy shrugged, “This is my dad, we’re talking about. I think the odds that this is a trap is 80/20.”

“If it’s a trap, you shouldn’t go,” Thea reasoned. “Give Oliver and Felicity more time to work the lead Bobby gave you.”

“It’s the best chance we have to get the twins home today.  We haven’t heard back from Sara or Nyssa about Lazarus Pit locations. Felicity has been focusing her facial recognition software in South Korea and Scandinavia, but so far, she’s coming up empty. I can’t risk Prue’s health because of what Malcolm might have planned for me.”

Thea’s eyes filled with tears, “I’m sure Sara will be in touch soon. Wait for her. Skip this meeting. He wants you to jump because he’s telling you to.”

“Dad doesn’t want the twins. I think he’s going to bring them back,” Tommy tried to reassure his sister.

“In exchange for what? Your life?” she asked angrily.

“I’m willing to trade my life for theirs,” Tommy answered.

“No one doubts that,” she hissed through the smile she put on for the kids who’d looked up when she’d raised her voice. “Your children need you. This can’t be a suicide mission.”

Tommy had no intention of sacrificing himself unless it was absolutely necessary. He was determined to get the twins back to their mom, at any cost. “Our children have Ollie and Felicity and you and the rest of our crazy family. If something happens today, I know everything will be okay because they won’t be alone.”

Thea began to cry, “I need you. Don’t let him take you away from me.”

Tommy pulled his sister into his arms, “I love you, Speedy. No matter what happens, always remember that.”

“Mommy,” Mia tugged on Thea’s arm, “why are you crying?”

“Uncle Tommy told me a terrible joke,” Thea said with a watery smile as she pulled her daughter onto her lap.

“Come here, Governor,” Tommy lifted Scott into the air. He held his nephew in his arms and hoped that he would be holding at least two of his children before the end of the day. “What are you going to do about my taxes?”

“Uncle Tommy,” Mia giggled, “Scott isn’t the real governor.”

“He isn’t?” Tommy eyed Scott suspiciously, “Are you the real governor?”

“Yes,” Scott nodded solemnly.

“In that case, I’d like for you to raise your Uncle Ollie’s taxes and lower mine. Okay?”

“Okay,” Scott agreed.

“Uncle Tommy, Scott can’t raise or lower taxes,” Mia admonished through her laughter.

“While you’re at it,” Tommy stage whispered against Scott’s ear, “I think you should raise Mia’s taxes.”

“I don’t pay taxes,” Mia informed her uncle as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

“You don’t?” Tommy asked with feigned horror.  When his niece shook her head, he frowned, “I tell you, kids today.”

 

It was a rather sunny and mild day for February in Starling. Tommy felt strange as he walked through the large Sunday crowd at the zoo by himself. It had been less than a month since he’d been to the zoo with all four children. His hands felt empty without a stroller to push and he kept glancing around to make sure Bobby and Becca weren’t getting themselves into trouble.

Tommy didn’t need a map to navigate his way to the penguin exhibit. The penguins were universally adored by the Smoak children. They loved going into the chamber beneath the penguin pool so they could watch the birds swim. Unless it was raining, the dimly lit chamber wasn’t normally crowded. It allowed for their family to have a little anonymity as they sat on a wide bench together to be entertained by the underwater acrobatics and share a snack. Tommy loved those quiet moments with his children. He would be filled with joy as he watched their delighted faces as they watched the penguins swim.

He picked up the pace as he approached the path that led to the penguin house. He resisted the urge to run and draw attention to himself. So far, the baseball cap he wore low over his eyes and the three days of stubble had prevented anyone from recognizing him. The uneasy feeling he’d had since he heard his dad’s message increased the closer he got to his destination. Tommy wasn’t convinced that his dad would just hand the twins over to him. It didn’t feel right. The only reason he could think of for his dad’s willingness to return the twins was that Prue was sick. He didn’t believe that his father actually wanted the twins dead. If Malcolm believed that Oliver only loved his biological children and not Tommy’s, the stupidest thing he could do would be to hurt Nate or Prue.

“Any sign of them?” Tommy asked for the tenth time since entering the zoo. He knew it was a ridiculous question because if anyone spotted the children the team would’ve made a move.

“No,” Oliver answered, “but we can see you.”

“I’m not the one missing,” Tommy deftly stepped around a child who was running after a sibling. “What if we’re wrong. What if he meant the pool house and not the zoo?” Tommy asked for the tenth time since they realized that Nate’s penguin was the clue.

“He won’t risk going to the mansion. He doesn’t want to run into ARGUS,” Oliver repeated patiently. “He likes picking public places.”

Logically, Tommy knew Oliver was right. Lyla had placed a small army of ARGUS agents at the Queen mansion to protect Thea, Mia and Scott. His dad wouldn’t risk falling back under Amanda Waller’s thumb. Malcolm had always made personal contact in public locations, there was no reason to believe this time would be different.

The penguin exhibit consisted of an aboveground viewing area where the penguins could be observed on the ice and snow and in the water. The habitat was round and enclosed by thick glass. When Tommy and Oliver were younger, the exhibit had only been surrounded by a waist high fence. He often wondered, as he watched the penguins with his children, if their drunken, teenaged abduction of a penguin, had been the reason for the glass-walled enclosure.

Tommy slowly walked the perimeter of the exhibit as he kept an eye out for his children. There were children running around him, and he felt his dad senses going into high alert. He spotted runny noses, untied shoelaces, pushing, shoving, crying, but his eyes skipped over all of it as he looked for Prue and Nate. “They’re not here,” he said with growing despair. “What if I was wrong about the penguin being the clue?” he asked as he moved towards the entrance of the underground viewing area. “What if I’m supposed to be somewhere else?”

“We suspected the handoff would be underground. Stay alert,” Oliver said tensely.

“I will,” Tommy promised.

Tommy was halfway down the ramp when Felicity called out, “Tommy, stop.”

He stopped and leaned against the wall to allow others to pass. “What’s wrong?” he asked as he ducked his head towards his shoulder.

“All of the cameras cutout. I’m blind,” she responded.

“Turn around and come back outside,” Oliver instructed. “This is a trap.”

Tommy turned his head and tried to see into the large observation room. He wasn’t far enough down the ramp to see. The hair on the back of his neck rose. It felt like a trap, but if Prue and Nate were waiting for him, there was no choice to make. He continued down the ramp.

“Are you listening to me?” Oliver asked sharply. “Get the hell out of there.”

“I can’t, Ollie,” Tommy said as he wound his way around a mom tying her daughter’s shoe, “what if they’re here?” He took comfort from the steady traffic of parents and children. “Don’t worry, it’s crowded. Nothing will happen to me.”

“Tommy,” he could hear the fear in Felicity’s voice, “please come back outside.”

He got to the bottom of the ramp and stepped into the room. It was dimly lit with a blue glow coming from the penguin pool. Water reflected on the walls, floor and ceiling. Even with all the children around, the room was fairly quiet. A hush seemed to fall over everyone as they stepped foot into the underwater realm of the black and white birds. His eyes scanned the room and landed on a double stroller. The stroller was on the far side of the room, closer to the glass. His heart skipped a beat. He couldn’t see their faces, because the canopy was up, but he could see a familiar pair of red and purple corduroy pants and a light blue and yellow coat. “I think I see them,” he said excitedly as he navigated his way across the room.

“Is it them?” Felicity asked with hope.

“I think so. I can’t see their faces, but I recognize their clothes,” he answered.

“Damn it, Tommy. Pay attention, who is there with you?” Oliver growled. “They won’t be there alone.”

Tommy looked quickly around the stroller for anyone who didn’t look right. There wasn’t an adult near the stroller, “I think they’re alone.”

A gasp went through the room as metal shutters lowered and covered the windows into the penguin pool. His current situation felt more ominous than it did the moment before and Tommy ran towards the stroller. As he knelt in front of it the stroller, all the lights went out and the room was plunged into darkness. He reached out and felt two pairs of legs, “Nate? Prue?”

“Hi, da,” Nate giggled.

He pulled the stroller closer. He blocked out the sounds of panic around him. His hands greedily felt for the familiar forms of his children. “Hi, little man. I’ve missed you,” he said through his tears. “There’s my girl,” he said with relief as his hand stroked Prue’s cheek.

“Hi, dada,” Prue’s small hand clutched his.

“I’ve got them,” Tommy said joyfully. “They’re okay. I’ve got them.”

When no one responded he tried again, “Oliver? Felicity? Can you hear me? I can’t hear you, but they’re here.”

Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket and it was dead. It had been fully charged when he’d left the house. He quickly began to focus on his surroundings. None of the emergency exit signs were lit up. There wasn’t any back up power kicking in. He had to get the twins outside. If he knew Oliver, his husband was already on his way to him, which meant he had to get the twins out before his dad had a chance to finish whatever else he had planned for them.

“Okay, monkeys. We’re getting out of here.” He rose to his feet and felt for the stroller handle. He moved the stroller towards the shuttered viewing windows. He’d be able to follow the curve of the room towards the ramp rather than risk colliding into the benches placed throughout the room. With one hand on the stroller and one on the shutters he moved as quickly as he could towards the exit ramp.

The room was filled with the sounds of crying children and parents calling out for their children. His stroller bumped into someone and he pulled back. Tommy’s heart was racing and his every instinct was telling him to run. He returned to the front of the carriage. “Dada is going to carry you,” he told his children as he unhooked their harnesses. “Hold onto me tight.” He lifted them into his arms and held them securely against his chest. He gave himself a moment to press his cheek against theirs and then he was back in motion, heading towards the ramp. His hip hit against a railing and he let out a small sigh of relief. They were at the bottom of the ramp. He looked up and it finally registered that there wasn’t any daylight streaming in from the exit. They should be able to see the sunny sky.

A woman pounded on the metal door, “Someone help. The door is locked.”

Everyone was trapped and he was sure his father was the reason. Tommy squeezed his eyes shut and tried to visualize what the underground room looked like. There were emergency exits along the walls opposite from the penguin pool. He just needed to find one. “How are we doing monkeys?” he asked brightly. “Did you have fun watching the penguins?”

The twins remained silent, but they both nodded against his chest.

“We’re going to find a door and we’ll go outside. We can go look at the other monkeys and see who is cuter,” he said quietly as he carefully navigated in the darkness. “Who do you think is cuter?”

“Me,” Prue answered.

“No, me,” Nate giggled.

“I think you’re both pretty cute,” he told them. He banged his knee on the edge of a bench and swallowed a curse. He adjusted his course and headed in the direction he hoped would take him to one of the emergency exits. His shoulder collided with a wall and he walked along the wall until he came to a door. “Here we go, monkeys. A loud noise might go off when I open this, but we’re okay.”

Tommy leaned against the push bar and the door swung silently away from him. He stepped through the door and stuck his foot out, feeling for a step. He assumed the exit had to lead into a stair well. He shuffled his feet, not wanting to trip on the first step. The metal door slammed behind him and he had the uneasy feeling that they weren’t alone. He felt for the door handle, but the door had locked behind him. His arms tightened around his children and he turned back to face whoever waited for him in the darkness.

A flashlight clicked on and shone directly into Tommy’s eyes. He turned his head away as his eyes protested the sudden brightness. “Who’s there?”

 

Oliver’s heart pounded as he ran through the zoo towards the penguin house. He had no idea what had happened. For a moment, it sounded like Tommy had found the twins but their connection cut out. He’d lost all contact with his team and his cell was suddenly dead. As he approached the entrance to the underground ramp for the penguin house he was flooded with fear. People were huddled around the closed door. He pushed his way through and saw that the doors were being held closed by a chain and a padlock. He looked around for something to break the lock with and his eyes landed on a fire extinguisher.

“Stand back,” Oliver instructed the crowd. He brought the bottom of the extinguisher down on the handle of the door. After three swings, the handle became loose. It took two more swings for the handle to fall off and for the doors to open. A swell of people rushed through the door, forcing Oliver to take a step back. His eyes scanned the crowd, desperate for sight of his husband.

“Oliver,” Felicity cried out.

He momentarily looked behind him to see Felicity and John running towards him. He turned his attention to the people leaving the penguin house. “What the hell happened?” he asked his wife when she got to his side.

“It was an EMP,” she said breathlessly. The zoo doesn’t have any power. My computer’s down. Everyone here has a fried cell phone and a car in the parking lot that won’t turn on.”

Oliver began to push his way through the crowd and Dig handed him a flashlight. As soon as they were inside he clicked on his light and ran down the ramp. “Tommy,” he called out.

“Prue. Nate,” Felicity called out from behind him.

Oliver got to the end of the ramp and froze in place. In the direct beam of his flashlight was an empty double stroller. He ran to the stroller and looked for a sign that it had recently held his children.

“They were here,” Felicity grabbed hold of Oliver. “Where are they?”

If he were Tommy, he would’ve realized it was a trap when the lights went out and his phone didn’t work. Tommy would’ve looked for an alternate exit when the main doors were blocked. It would’ve been too difficult to maneuver the carriage in the chaos, so he would’ve carried the twins. Oliver swept the flashlight around the room. “Tommy would’ve tried one of the emergency exits.”

“If he made it to the ramp before he realized they were locked in,” John swung his light across the room and it landed on a door, “that would’ve been his closest exit.”

The three partners crossed the room and Dig opened the door. Oliver went through first, “Tommy.” When there was no answer, he told his team, “Wait here.”

Oliver ran up the stairs in front of him and when he got to the top of the stairs he pushed on the door, but it was chained shut. He ran back down the stairs. “The exit was padlocked. Let’s try the next one.”

They repeated their actions when they got to the second door. He was about to tell them to try the third door, when something reflected in the beam of his light. Oliver bent over and picked the item up.

“Oliver, what is it?” Felicity asked.

Oliver examined the item in the palm of his hand before he held it between his thumb and forefinger for Felicity to see, “It’s his wedding ring.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> If you're interested in reading about Oliver, Tommy and the penguin, you can find the story on tumblr:  
> https://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com/post/159507158915/penguinbreak-an-infinite-love-story
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


	6. Torn and Restored

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Malcolm and Tommy have a father-son reunion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you've all forgiven me for Saturday's chapter. Thank you for all of your enthusiasm for this fic! Your comments have been sweet, funny, and entertaining.

Felicity sat unmoving in the front passenger seat of Oliver’s car. Malcolm had used the twins to bait a trap for Tommy and they’d walked right into it. All of the electronics they had with them had been taken out by the EMP blast. Even the nanites Felicity had sprayed all over Tommy, in case the worst happened and Malcolm grabbed him, had been destroyed by the EMP. Felicity had no way of knowing who took Tommy and the children or how they escaped the zoo. She had no way of tracking them and she felt sick with the knowledge that every second was taking her husband and children further away from her. “Why didn’t he listen? He knew it was a trap.”

“Felicity,” Oliver sighed, “would you have listened?”

Oliver was right. Felicity wouldn’t have turned back either. “No,” she admitted. “What are we going to tell Agent Schultz? Do you think he’ll believe we left him to continue praying with the rabbi?”

“I’m done talking to the FBI,” Oliver’s voice had slipped into his lethal Green Arrow voice. “Whether Waller comes through or not, the FBI is out of our house, today.”

“They’re going to think Tommy was in on it,” she said softly.

“I don’t care what they think. I want them out of our home, so we can do what we need to do,” he growled.

“They won’t believe he’s a victim. They’ll think he conspired with Malcolm to steal the kids. What if they issue a warrant for his arrest?” Felicity could feel panic clawing to break free. The last thing they needed was a criminal investigation into their family.

“I can’t think about that right now.”

Felicity was doing her best to keep what she was feeling buried. They needed to act quickly and there wasn’t time for her emotions. From the moment she realized both Tommy and the twins were gone, fear had taken root. There was only one reason she could think of why Malcolm would take Tommy. She turned in her seat to look at her husband, “Is he going to kill him?”

Oliver inhaled sharply. He turned to look at her and his eyes filled with tears, “I don’t know.”

Felicity dug her nails into the palm of her hand to keep from crying. “I don’t care whose father Malcolm is. He’s done. No more chances. I want him dead.”

Oliver took Felicity’s hand, “He was dead the moment the SUV hit your mom’s minivan, Malcolm just doesn’t realize it yet.”

“Get Schultz out of our home. I’m going to get our tech back up and running and I’m going to call Cisco and Ray for help with pulling satellite data.” Felicity pushed open her door and ignored the camera crews calling her name. “I think we should head to South Korea tonight.”

Their home was silent as Oliver closed the front door behind him. They walked into the living room, ready to confront Agent Schultz, but the room was empty. There was no sign of the agents or any of their equipment. They walked through the living room and into their kitchen and they stopped short. Seated at their long kitchen table were Sara Lance and Amanda Waller.

“Sara,” Felicity said with relief.

“Hey, guys,” Sara rose from the table and gave Felicity a hug. She hugged Oliver and then looked around, “Where’s Tommy?”

“Malcolm grabbed him,” Oliver stepped around Sara.

“What?” Sara asked with disbelief.

“Do I have you to thank for the Bureau being gone?” Oliver asked Amanda.

“I couldn’t have the FBI poking around your files. It wouldn’t be in anyone’s best interest for the FBI to know that you’re an ARGUS agent.” Waller crossed her arms, “What else do you need?”

“A location for Malcolm, Tommy and my children,” Oliver answered.

“We’re looking. As soon as we know something, I’ll be in touch.” Waller picked up her purse, “About that favor?”

“What about it?” Oliver stared at his former handler and dared her to ask him for a favor.

“I’d like to meet with William,” Waller began.

“No,” Felicity growled, “you don’t get to go near our children, any of them. William will never work for you – EVER.”

Waller approximated a smile with a grimace, “One day, Ms. Smoak, you’ll learn I’m not your enemy.”

“Today isn’t that day, Ms. Waller,” Felicity smiled back.

Oliver gestured towards the front door and Waller followed him. Felicity removed a glass from the cabinet. “Can I get you something?” she asked Sara.

“Water is good,” Sara answered.

Felicity busied herself filling three water glasses and slicing a lemon. She was sure that if Sara had come all the way to Starling she had to have news for them, and Felicity was also sure that if it was good news, Sara would’ve called. Felicity placed the glasses on the table and sat down. Sara sat down next to her and took her hand. They sat together in silence and waited for Oliver’s return.

As soon as Oliver returned from escorting Waller out their house, he began to ask Sara questions, “Did you find him? Do you have a list of locations we can start searching?”

Sara pointed to the chair across from her, but he shook his head. “Ollie, I don’t know how you or Tommy ended up with a genius for a child, but you did. They were in South Korea.”

“Where?” Felicity’s heart felt like it was in her throat.

“There is a Lazarus Pit in Jeju, South Korea. Malcolm has been using it for the better part of a year. He’s been staying in the temple there,” Sara explained.

“And no one in the League knew it was Malcolm?” Oliver asked skeptically.

“Malcolm has many loyalists from his time in the League. The South Korean temple has always been a reluctant follower of Nyssa’s reign. They sheltered him and failed to alert Nanda Parbat of Malcolm’s location.”

“Are they at the temple?” Felicity asked hopefully.

Sara shook her head, “No, no one is at the temple anymore. Nyssa has taken everyone back to Nanda Parbat for trial. She has poisoned the Pit too. Malcolm will never be able to return there.”

“But the kids were in South Korea?” Felicity asked hopefully.

“According to the kitchen maids, there were four small American children at the temple for one night. They told us that the kids were separated from one another, but they appeared to be unhurt.”

Felicity removed her glasses and covered her eyes as she wept. Someone had seen her babies and they’d been okay.

Oliver rubbed circles onto Felicity’s back as she cried, “Sara, did anyone overhear his plans? Does anyone know where he was going?”

“I know why your satellite searches are coming up empty. You’ll never guess where the son of a bitch is holding them,” Sara said with disgust.

 

A loud knock woke Tommy from his sleep. He sat up slowly and took in his strange surroundings. He was surprised to find himself in a luxuriously appointed stateroom. The knock sounded again and he opened the door to find an older man in a suit staring at him blankly. “Good morning, sir. Your father has requested your presence upstairs for breakfast in twenty minutes.” The man eyed Tommy up and down, “Everything you’ll need to shower and shave is in the en suite. There are clothes in the dresser and closet.”

“My dad?” Tommy asked with confusion. His head felt like it was stuffed with cotton. The last thing he remembered were the penguins at the zoo. “Nate. Prue,” he said as he pushed past the man in front of him.

“Sir, wouldn’t you prefer to dress?” the man ran after him.

“Sir, does not prefer to dress. Sir, wants to see his son of a bitch father, right now,” Tommy took the stairs two at a time. He walked along the corridor and stepped into the bright and airy saloon.

A warm breeze blew in through the open doors and windows. His father sat at a table dressed in white linen. “Nice yacht,” Tommy snarled. “It’s a step up from the dungeon you threw me in last time.”

Malcolm looked up and grimaced at his son’s appearance, “Didn’t Brian tell you that you had time to shower and shave before breakfast?”

Tommy glanced over his shoulder at Brian, “He mentioned something, but I’d rather see my children. Where are they?”

“Brian, please bring my son coffee and breakfast,” Malcolm dismissed his servant. “Tommy,” he gestured to the seat in front of him, “please, sit down.”

Tommy folded his arms across his chest, “Where are my children?”

“They’re here. They’re safe.” Malcolm pointed to the chair again, “Let’s have our breakfast, have a conversation and then, if you behave yourself, you can see the children.”

Tommy reluctantly crossed the room and joined his father at the table. He stared at his father, unwilling to be the first one to speak. He was waiting to hear whatever insane rantings his father had prepared on his behalf.

Malcolm arched a brow at his son, “How’s your head? I’m afraid my man might’ve overdone it on the sedative. You’ve been asleep for thirty-nine hours.”

Brian set a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and rye toast in front of Tommy, along with a large mug of coffee. He poured a generous amount of cream in his mug, but hesitated to take a sip. He didn’t think his dad would go through the trouble of bringing him to wherever he was in order to poison him.

“For god’s sake,” Malcolm said with exasperation. “I’m not trying to kill you.” Malcolm lifted Tommy’s mug to his lips and took a sip. He then reached over and took a forkful of eggs. “Do you want me to try the bacon and toast too?”

“No,” Tommy felt like he was eleven again. He took a sip of his coffee and could feel the fog clouding his brain begin to lift. “Where are we?”

“The Indian Ocean,” Malcolm answered.

“That’s specific,” Tommy said sarcastically as he ignored the rumbling of his stomach. Against his better judgment, he took a forkful of eggs. He had no idea if he’d be offered another meal and Oliver had said one of his most important lessons from his time away was when you’re a prisoner, it’s important to eat when fed. He needed to be clear headed if he was going to escape.

“Well, it’s as specific as I plan to get with you.”

Tommy put his fork down, “What do you want, dad?”

Malcolm looked pained by Tommy’s question. “What I’ve always wanted, a relationship with my son.”

Tommy snorted derisively, “You have never wanted a relationship with me. If you did, you’d never have left me.”

“I was in pain when your mother died. I couldn’t stay.” Malcolm looked way, “I murdered the man who killed your mother. How could I be around you?”

“What?” Tommy asked in complete surprise. “They never found out who killed mom.”

“No, the cops never figured it out, but I did.” Malcolm looked Tommy in the eyes, “I hired an investigator, they gave me a name. I bought a gun on the black market and I followed the man coming out of a bar one night and I shot him. I killed him. I came home and you asked me where I’d been – I missed reading you a bedtime story. I had chosen to kill instead of being home with you. I didn’t trust myself around you. I left the next day to find clarity.”

Tommy’s brain was struggling to process the new information, “Why didn’t you just tell the cops?”

“Because I wanted him dead,” Malcolm said quietly. “He took my wife – your mother. He didn’t deserve to live.”

Tommy screamed internally. He wasn’t going to allow his dad to do this. Revise their history and paint himself as the hero of his own story. His father was a child abuser and a murderer. He wasn’t anyone’s hero. “And what about all the wives and mothers you killed?”

“Every life I took was necessary.”

“Robert was necessary? Laurel was necessary? Are you even listening to yourself?” Tommy asked with disgust.

“Robert was my best friend, but he was going to betray me. I had no choice. It broke my heart to do what I did. I am sorry about Laurel. I know you cared for her,” Malcolm sounded sincere. “A poison was spreading through my city and I purged it so you could be safe.”

“Safe?” Tommy swelled with outrage. “I didn’t need to be kept safe from strangers in the Glades, I needed to be kept safe from you. Even if I could forgive all those deaths, do you expect me to forgive what you did to me?”

“What did I do to you?” Malcolm asked innocently.

Tommy laughed bitterly, “I don’t know dad, how about the fact that you used me as your personal punching bag?”

“That wasn’t me, that was the Lazarus Pit,” Malcolm said defensively. “All I ever wanted was for you to grow up and become a great man. You had so much potential but you threw it away on booze, drugs, girls, and Oliver Queen.  I expected a son who was as weak as you to be more compliant, but you were always so defiant.”

“The Lazarus Pit made you do it,” Tommy said with disgust. “Is that supposed to excuse what you did – give me comfort? Because it looks like you’ve recently either taken another dip or you have made some kind of Faustian bargain and there’s a portrait in an attic somewhere aging.”

“I discovered something that counteracts the unpleasant side effects of the Pit. I’m cured of the bloodlust and the rage,” Malcolm said with pride. “Besides, I would never hurt them. They are my grandchildren, I love them.”

Tommy rose from his chair, “Love? You’re not capable of love, because if you were, If you loved them, you wouldn’t have risked their lives by staging a car accident and you wouldn’t have torn them away from their parents.”

“You gave me no choice,” Malcolm hissed. “I’ve been trying to prove to you that I’ve changed and you’ve rejected my overtures at every turn.”

“Changed? You’re right. I gave you no choice,” Tommy said angrily. “I will not apologize for wanting to keep my children safe from you. I don’t want you near my children. You gave away that right long before they were even born. Bring me my children, you fucking deluded narcissist.”

“Careful,” Malcolm warned. He leaned back in his chair, “I understand that you’re angry with me, but I’m giving you a choice. You can go home, alone, and return to living your lie with Oliver and Felicity, or, you can stay here with me and be a father to your children.”

“So, we can be your prisoners?” If Malcolm had been cured of the dangerous Pit side effects, he had yet to see any evidence of his dad being a changed man. He needed to get control of his own emotions or he might risk exposing his children to their grandfather’s wrath.

“I don’t want you to be a prisoner. I want you to choose to be here, with me. I want you to choose our family.”

“You hate me. You hate everything about me. You’ve spent almost my entire life telling me you wished I wasn’t your son. Now you want to be a family?”

“I don’t hate you. You are my son. I love you. I have come to terms with what you are. I will arrange male or female companionship for you – you can have both, if that’s what you desire.” Malcolm looked out the window, “The children are attached to you. They ask for you. I won’t make the same mistake with them that I made with you. Children require affection, I see that now, but they also need discipline and firm guidance. I want the name Merlyn to mean something. Even with the near immortality of the Pit, I want to leave a legacy. I wanted to give you the world. I still want to, but if you’re incapable of being the man I need you to be, I will make sure Bobby is. With access to the Pit and the cure, we can be men the world will be unable to ignore.”

Tommy felt sickened by his dad’s words. He was sounding like a crazy villain straight out of a movie. Tommy had no intention of bathing in the Lazarus Pit and he sure as hell wasn’t going to put his children in the Pit. Malcolm was the last man on earth he would have as a role model for his children. Malcolm wasn’t going to lay a finger on the children and he wasn’t going to raise them in his twisted image either. “Dad, just let us go home. They need their mom. They need their dad,” Tommy pleaded.

“You are their father – it is entirely up to you if they’ll have to learn to live without you too.”

Tommy steeled himself for the reality of having to play along. He was willing to endure whatever was necessary to be with his children. He just needed to wait for Oliver and Felicity to find them. “How is this going to work?”

Malcolm smiled with relief, “You will have full access to the children. You will want for nothing.”

“Are we staying on this boat forever?”

“Until I know you can be trusted, yes.”

“The children need to go to school.”

“I will retain whatever tutors you feel are necessary.”

“Being at sea is unacceptable. Prue needs to be closer to a hospital.”

Malcolm pointed up, “I have a helicopter. We are never far from a proper medical facility and I have a pediatrician on board. The doctor is also the children’s nanny.” Malcolm leaned forward, “I don’t understand it, but you love Nate and Prue like they are your own. I know that you can never be happy if you’re separated from the twins.  I’ve kept them here for you, as a sign of good faith. As long as you behave, I will allow you access to the children. The moment you try to escape, the moment you try to undermine me, I will separate you from them.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Tommy scoffed. “Behave? Separate me from my children? I’m forty-four-years old, I’m not a child anymore and my children aren’t toys you can take away as punishment if I don’t do what I’m told.”

“Do you want to see your children,” Malcolm arched his brow.

Tommy straightened his shoulders, “Yes.”

“Are you going to do as you’re told?”

Tommy swallowed the bile rising in his throat and nodded, “Yes.”

“That’s all I needed to hear.” Malcolm stood up, “Good morning, children.”

Tommy turned and he nearly cried out with joy. All four of his children were standing in front of him, looking beautiful and healthy. They were dressed expensively and exactly how his father expected children to look – neat and obedient. Once the children saw him, the serious expressions on their faces were transformed to smiles.

“Da,” Bobby cried out and ran towards his father.

Tommy dropped to his knees and opened his arms as Bobby and Becca slammed into him. They had their arms around his neck and Becca sat in his lap. The twins toddled over and Tommy pulled them into his embrace. “Hey, monkeys. I have missed you guys.”

“We missed you too,” Bobby said without letting go.

“Are mommy and daddy here?” Becca asked hopefully.

“I’m sorry, sweet pea, but you’re stuck with just me for now. Mommy and daddy wanted me to tell you how much they love you and how much they miss you. They’ll be seeing you soon.”

Malcolm cleared his throat loudly.

“That’s okay, da,” Bobby kissed his cheek, “we’re happy to see you.”

“Yeah, but you need a bath,” Becca said with a smile. “You stink.”

“Sorry about that, I haven’t had a shower in a few days,” Tommy couldn’t help but smile at Becca’s directness that was so much like her mom’s.

Becca ran her fingers over his face, “You’re scratchy, like daddy.”

“Why don’t you shower and shave and the children can play here,” Malcolm offered.

“No,” Becca wrapped her arms around him tighter, “we want to go with you, da.”

Tommy had no intention of leaving the kids out of his sight, “Okay, you guys can come and hang out in my room while I get dressed.”

Tommy returned to his room with the children and closed the door in Brian’s face. He took great satisfaction from the sound of the door locking. He placed the twins on the bed and B2 climbed on after them.

“How is everyone?” Tommy asked the children, but the question was directed at Bobby. His fingers traced Bobby’s face, looking for any signs of bruising or redness.

“Prue hasn’t been sick at all. They’re making her special food and even daddy’s applesauce,” Bobby guessed the information Tommy most needed to hear. “Other than that,” Bobby shrugged, “we’re okay. We want to go home. I don’t like living on a boat.”

“Yeah, yachts suck,” Tommy said without thinking.

“Da, bad word,” Becca scolded him.

“Sorry, I promise to put a fifty in the swear jar as soon as we get home,” Tommy pledged. “I’m going to go shower and shave and then we’ll have some fun.”

“You owe us a lot of stories,” Becca informed him, “and cuddles.”

“Cuddles and stories, that sounds like an excellent plan.” It sounded like the best plan he’d ever heard. He’d be content to spend the rest of the day sitting in his room reading the children stories and holding them close.

“Da?” Bobby chewed on his bottom lip.

“Yeah, little man?” Tommy asked.

Bobby shifted on the bed, “Is that man really our grandpa?”

Tommy sat heavily on the bed, “It’s complicated.”

“Adults always say it’s complicated when they don’t want to answer a question,” Bobby challenged. “He says that he’s your da. Is that true?”

“Yes, that man is my father,” Tommy answered.

“He says that you’re very angry with him and that you won’t let him see us because you don’t love him anymore and you don’t want us to love him,” Bobby said.

Tommy took a deep breath to banish the anger he was feeling. It was one thing for his dad to emotionally manipulate him, but it was rage inducing to think Malcolm had already started with the children. The twins were curled up against him with their heads in his lap. They were listening to him but weren’t interested in the conversation he was having with their big brother. Becca was listening attentively and was hanging on their every word. “Bobby, when I said that this was complicated, I wasn’t saying it to dismiss you. My dad and I don’t get along.”

“Why?” Becca asked.

Tommy ran his hand over his daughter’s curls, “It’s a very long story, sweet pea.”

“But you had a fight?” Becca offered him a reason.

“We had a fight,” Tommy smiled sadly.

“He should say he’s sorry,” Becca patted his hand. “You make me say I’m sorry when I make Bobby mad.”

There was no way he could explain to his five-year-old that there were some things that could never be forgiven. There were some things that were so terrible that there weren’t enough apologies in the world to make up for the transgressions. Tommy had no intention of teaching her this life lesson when she still believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. He hoped his daughter would never experience something unforgiveable. “He should say he’s sorry,” Tommy agreed.

“Do you love him?” Bobby asked.

“What?” Tommy was surprised by his son’s question.

“He says that you don’t love him anymore,” Bobby said.

“There was a time when I loved him very much,” Tommy answered truthfully. There was a time when Malcolm had hung the moon and the stars for him, but that was a long time ago and his mom had still been alive.

“But not anymore?”  Bobby asked warily.

“It’s not important,” Tommy answered. “What’s important is that I love the four of you more than anyone else in the whole world. Your mommy and daddy love the four of you more than anyone else in the world too. Nothing will ever change that. We will always love you, no matter what.”

“Even when you’re angry at me for not going to bed?” Becca asked.

“Even when we’re angry with you, we still love you,” Tommy promised. “Okay?”

Bobby and Becca nodded, “Okay.”

Tommy raced through his shower and was just starting to shave when there was a knock on the bathroom door. Bobby stuck his head around the already opened door and stepped in. He sat on the lowered toilet lid and watched Tommy shave.

“Everything all right?” Tommy asked.

“Your dad caused the earthquake,” Bobby stated. “I heard about it at school.”

Tommy was momentarily stunned. “Why didn’t you ever say anything to your mom, dad, or me?”

Bobby shrugged, “I didn’t want to make you feel bad. I’d feel bad if you caused the earthquake.”

Tommy felt like he’d taken a blow to the gut. “I’m sorry. You should’ve heard about the earthquake from us – from me. I was trying to protect you until you were older.”

“Aunt Laurel died in the earthquake. Is that why you’re angry with him?”

“Your Aunt Laurel is a big reason. So are all the other people who died,” Tommy answered.

“Why did he want to hurt all of those people in an earthquake?” Bobby raised his brows, “Don’t say it’s complicated.”

Tommy had no idea how to explain the rationale of a mad man. “I’ve been asking myself that question for a very long time. I still don’t have an answer.”

“Daddy says that sometimes people are just bad,” Bobby said in understanding.

Tommy and Oliver had a fundamental difference of opinion on the nature of good and evil, but this wasn’t the time for this debate with his son. “Sometimes, people are bad.”

Bobby wrapped his arms around Tommy’s waist, “I’m sorry you got a bad dad. You should’ve had a dad like you and daddy.”

Tommy was at a loss for words. He returned his son’s hug, “I’m very lucky and proud to be your dad.”

“Is daddy really going to come for us?” Bobby asked as he let go of his dad’s waist.

Tommy returned to the sink to finish shaving. “Yes, your daddy is going to come for us. We just need to find a way to help him find us.”

“We were in South Korea, but now we’re in the Indian Ocean. I’m not sure where,” Bobby informed him. “After South Korea, we got back on a plane. I think I heard the pilot say Jakarta – which is in Indonesia.”

Tommy laughed at his son throwing in the name of the country for his benefit, “I might not be a genius, but I did pay attention when I quizzed you for world geography tests.”

Bobby shrugged one shoulder, but didn’t look at all apologetic. “There isn’t any wifi on board. We have satellite television and I saw a satellite phone in the pilot house.”

“How many people are on board?” Tommy asked. He wasn’t surprised, but he was impressed with Bobby’s observational skills. Oliver might not have contributed his DNA, but Bobby had the same eye for detail as his daddy.

“The pilot and the first mate, a cook, Brian, a maid and our nanny. The maid and the nanny are the only women, but they all have marks like daddy.”

Tommy stopped shaving, “Which mark like daddy’s?”

Bobby reached and touched behind his right shoulder. “The arrow, but they don’t have arrows, they have different marks.”

Tommy closed his eyes as he assessed what it meant that he was on a boat with his dad and six other former members of the League of Assassins. It figured that his dad would hire a nanny/pediatrician who had assassin as one of her extracurricular activities. “Thank you. All of that is important information.” Tommy needed to find a way to get it to Oliver and Felicity. He was confident that his spouses would find the lead to South Korea on their own. Even with the nanites Felicity had sprayed him with, he was less sure they’d be able to trace them to the Indian Ocean without help.

He rinsed the shaving cream from his face as he tried to come up with a plan that wouldn’t endanger the children any more than they already were, but would still allow him to get a signal to Oliver and Felicity. “I’m going to get dressed and then you guys are going to take me on a tour of the yacht and show me all the things you like.”

“Like the pilot house,” Bobby grinned.

“Like the pilot house,” Tommy gently chucked Bobby’s chin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> Do you love me again?
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


	7. Tada

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity stage a rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your continued enthusiastic support for this fic.

Tommy had thought he had an exhaustive list about why yachts sucked before he and his children had been abducted, he’d been wrong. At the top of his revised list was that there wasn’t a safe outlet for his four energetic children aboard the floating monstrosity. They were going stir crazy aboard the boat and that made Tommy afraid. Under the best of circumstances, his children could exasperate him when they were bouncing off the walls at home. Around a loose cannon like Malcolm, their normal rambunctious behavior was downright dangerous.

It had been a relief when Malcolm had agreed to an excursion to an atoll that had been spotted by their first mate, Paolo. Malcolm had sent Brian and Paolo out in the skiff to explore and determine its safety for the children. Once the sandy strip of land had been deemed safe, Malcolm, Tommy, the children, Brian, Paolo, and Ronja, the children’s nanny, had set off to the atoll for some time on dry land.

The children had spent the morning running on the beach, building sand castles and playing in the crystal clear shallow water and had successfully worn themselves out. They’d all collapsed on the blanket next to Tommy under a large sun umbrella. They were quiet as they ate the fresh fruit Ronja had put out for them. Malcolm and Brian were walking down the beach with their heads together. Tommy watched them warily as they got further away. Even if he could get all four children into the skiff, there were still three members of the League aboard the yacht and Tommy was not up to taking them on. He would need to find another way to separate his children from Malcolm.

“Your children, they are beautiful,” Ronja interrupted Tommy’s plotting.

Tommy turned to face the dark-haired woman who eerily reminded him of his mother. He was positive his father was sleeping with her. “Thank you.”

“Their mother, she must be very beautiful too,” Ronja said as she stroked Prue’s hair.

“Mommy’s the most beautiful woman in the world,” Becca said proudly. “Show her a picture, da.”

“I’m sorry, sweet pea. I don’t have my phone,” Tommy replied ruefully.

Bobby sat up quickly, a thoughtful look on his face. Tommy had seen the same look on his wife’s face thousands of times. It was a look that meant she’d solved a problem. He tilted his head in question and Bobby grinned broadly in response.

“Children,” Malcolm called down the beach, “come look.”

Bobby and Becca turned to Tommy for permission. “We’ll all go,” he offered.

Bobby and Becca ran down the beach towards Malcolm and Brian. Tommy followed the twins, who found themselves easily distracted by pieces of driftwood and shells along their path. By the time they reached Malcolm, Bobby and Becca were squatting beside a small tidal pool. Malcolm was pointing out the various creatures that had taken up residence in the pool. He looked up at Tommy and smiled. All the air was suddenly pulled out of Tommy’s lungs and he struggled to stay on his feet as a memory rose to the surface. Tommy was transported back in time to his grandparents’ beach home and a morning he’d spent exploring the beach with his dad. He’d been Becca’s age and had peered into a tidal pool as his father lifted various sea life from the water to show him.

“Da, a starfish,” Becca squealed with excitement.

Tommy nodded wordlessly as he watched his dad gently lift the starfish out of the water. The starfish sat in the palm of Malcolm’s hand and he held it out to the children.

“You can touch it if you’d like,” Malcolm offered. “It won’t hurt you.”

Bobby tentatively touched the starfish’s leg and a grin spread across his face. “It’s softer than I thought it would be,” Bobby told Malcolm.

Not to be outdone by her big brother, Becca touched the center of the starfish. “Da, I’m touching it,” she exclaimed with excitement.

“I see that, sweet pea.”

Malcolm moved closer towards the twins and held it out to them. Nate quickly reached for the red starfish and before Tommy could remind his son that he should be gentle, Malcolm kindly said, “Gently. We don’t want to hurt him.”

Nate nodded his head and slowed his approach. He placed his entire hand on top of the starfish and let it rest there for a moment. He looked over his shoulder at Tommy and with a huge smile said, “Red.”

“Yeah, buddy, it’s red,” Tommy agreed.

Nate took Prue’s hand and placed it on the starfish, “Red.”

Prue’s face lit up as she traced a finger down the starfish’s leg and it moved. “Tickle,” she giggled.

“It’s too hot in the sun for this little guy,” Malcolm explained as he returned the starfish to the pool. The children groaned with disappointment, but he quickly silenced their groans when he removed from the water what appeared to be a hermit crab.

Malcolm held the children’s rapt attention as he showed them the crab. For a moment, Tommy allowed himself the fantasy that his father had never become a monster and that he was a loving and devoted grandfather who indulged and spoiled his grandchildren. It was a risky lapse in judgment and Tommy quickly reminded himself that they weren’t on a family vacation. The man patiently answering Becca’s questions was their abductor, not a doting grandfather. He wanted to pull his children away from his dad, but they were enjoying themselves and, under the circumstances, he didn’t want to be the reason the smile fell from their faces. He squatted behind the twins and touched the shell of the crab when Malcolm held it out to him.

 

The heat from the early afternoon sun was oppressive, even with the ocean breeze. The children were napping in their rooms after their excursion. The children had thoroughly exhausted themselves building sandcastles and swimming in the ocean. It was a relief for Tommy to see them act like carefree children. He’d been worried that they’d be traumatized by their current predicament. Tommy’s presence seemed to reassure them and they all took it as a given that they’d be reunited with Oliver and Felicity soon.

Tommy leaned against the portside railing and watched the third flock of seabirds fly overhead. The birds were all heading in the direction of the atoll they’d been at that morning. He stared at the horizon, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. His palms itched as he breathed in the humid air. If he was on the Sunnybrook, he’d head for land.  A storm was coming – a big one.

He made his way to the bridge, hoping to find Paolo on duty. The captain was suspicious of Tommy and watched him closely whenever he entered the area. Malcolm had given Tommy full access to the boat, including the equipment in the bridge. Malcolm’s permissiveness wasn’t a sign of trust, but his way of letting Tommy know that he didn’t find him to be a threat.

When Tommy slid the bridge door open, he was relieved to see Paolo behind the wheel. “Anything on radar?” he asked as he sat in front of the satellite weather images. “A storm is coming.”

Paolo peered out the window and grinned good-naturedly, “Clear skies, Mister Tommy. No storms today.”

Tommy studied the images from the weather satellite and they did nothing to allay his concerns. He tapped the monitor, “This is going to turn into something. We need to change course.”

Paolo frowned, “Your father said you would try to get me to change course.” He pointed to the door, “You should go.”

Realizing that he would have to convince his father of the approaching danger, he printed off the satellite images and left Paolo without another word to go in search of his dad.

Tommy found Malcolm behind his desk in his office. The captain was seated across from him and they were speaking in Arabic. He was pleased to find the men together – it would make his job easier. Tommy knocked, but entered without waiting for a response.

“Ah, Tommy,” Malcolm eyed him curiously. “Are the children okay?”

“There’s a storm forming northeast of here. I think we should change course.” Tommy casually leaned against the doorframe as he waited for his dad’s response.

Malcolm looked to the captain, “Guillermo?”

The captain waved a dismissive hand towards Tommy, “There’s nothing on the satellites.”

“Nothing for you to worry about, son,” Malcolm told him with a bland smile. “I’m sure the children will be up soon and want to see you.”

Malcolm returned his attention to Guillermo. Tommy recognized he was being dismissed, but his children’s safety was on the line. “Dad,” he interrupted.

Malcolm audibly sighed, “Yes, Thomas?”

“Whatever you think of me, you know that I’m an excellent sailor. I know how to read the ocean, the skies and satellite images.” Tommy placed the printout from the satellite in front of his dad and tapped his finger against it, “I’m telling you, we’re in for a big storm if we don’t alter our course.”

Malcolm stared at Tommy for thirty seconds before returning his attention to Guillermo, “Change course.” Malcolm looked to Tommy, “Have you plotted an alternative?”

“We should head southwest, back in the direction we came,” Tommy answered.

Malcolm dismissed the captain with a flick of his wrist, “You heard my son.”

Guillermo glared at Tommy as he passed him. Tommy moved aside and bumped into the captain in the tight space.

“Anything else?” Malcolm inquired.

Tommy shook his head, “No, that was it.”

“I’ll see you and the children for supper,” Malcolm said as way of dismissal. “Tommy?” he called after his son.

“Yeah, dad?” Tommy popped his head back into the office.

“I had fun with the children today,” Malcolm said earnestly.

“They had fun too,” Tommy admitted. Their time on the beach together only fueled Tommy’s desperation to get the children out of Malcolm’s clutches.

“I’m glad,” Malcolm smiled. “We’ll have to make a point of having regular outings.”

“They’d enjoy that.” Tommy tapped the doorframe, “See you at dinner.”

Tommy needed some distance from his father. Their proximity and stress of the situation was messing with his ability to keep a clear head. He decided to check on the children, in hope that Bobby was awake, and descended to the lower deck.

“They’re still asleep,” Ronja informed him as he walked past her opened door. She was wet from a shower and her hair was wrapped in a towel. Otherwise, she was completely naked and was making no effort to cover up.

He did his best not to roll his eyes. His dad would have to try a lot harder than having an underling try to seduce him. “I’m going to look in on them anyway,” Tommy smiled his most charming smile. There was no reason to make the woman realize he wasn’t interested. He was still trying to decide if she could be turned into an ally.

He slipped into the room that had been assigned to Bobby and Becca to discover the twins curled up with Becca on her bunk.

Bobby was sitting up with his tablet on his lap. He looked up and smiled as Tommy entered, “Did you get it?”

Tommy slid his hand into his pocket and removed it to reveal the captain’s cell phone, “Tada, one wireless hotspot.”

Bobby rolled his eyes, “Da, we’re in the middle of the ocean. This wifi signal is pretty useless.”

Tommy handed his son the cell, “Were you testing to see if I could pick his pocket when you asked me to get it?”

“I wasn’t testing you. You’re almost as good at it as Uncle Roy.” Bobby slipped from his bed and removed a small screwdriver from his dresser and set to work on removing the back of his tablet. “This will take me a few minutes.” His tongue poked out between his lips as he concentrated on his task.

Tommy checked on Becca and the twins. Nate and Prue were only wearing their diapers and had kicked the blanket off. He draped the blanket back over them. Becca’s nose was bright pink from her morning in the sun. Her freckles would be on full display by morning. He hoped there was some aloe aboard and made a mental note to go looking for some.

“All set,” Bobby informed him proudly.

“That was quick,” Tommy remarked.

“It was easier than I thought,” he handed Tommy back the captain’s cell. “He won’t realize his wifi isn’t working until we’re closer to land,” Bobby informed his dad.

“I’ll go back to the bridge and return it once we’re done,” Tommy said. The yacht had yet to alter course and he had every intention of finding out why.

He sat down on the foot of Bobby’s bunk and watched as his fingers flew across his tablet. Tommy had never been so happy that Felicity had taught their son to code and hack as a way to combat his boredom when Prue was in the hospital. Her exercise in creative parenting might just save their lives.

“Yes,” Bobby pumped his fist, “I’m in. The wifi on the navigation system isn’t password protected. I’m already talking to it.” Bobby’s brow furrowed in concentration and his tongue made a reappearance. A grin spread across his face and he handed Tommy the tablet, “I connected the navigation system to mommy’s satellite. You can send her a message.”

“When we get home, I’m raising your allowance,” Tommy informed his grinning eight-year-old.

“Can I stay up until nine too?” Bobby waggled his eyebrows.

“Don’t push your luck,” Tommy teased.

Tommy’s fingers quickly tapped out his message with complete faith that Bobby had successfully connected them with Overwatch and that Felicity would soon be reading it. Tommy hit enter and returned the tablet to Bobby. “If mommy or daddy write back, come find me and tell me that you want me to read, Harry Potter.”

 

The airplane cabin’s lights were in night mode, but no one was sleeping. William and Emma were doing homework. John and Sara were playing cards. Oliver sat next to Felicity, flipping through photos of the kids on his phone. Felicity rested her head against Oliver’s shoulder and smiled at each image as it came up on the screen. A picture of Tommy in their garden, surrounded by their kids had Felicity reaching out to stop Oliver from moving on. The picture completely captured Tommy’s essence. He was laughing and his blue eyes twinkled with his delight. Tommy never seemed happier than when he was surrounded by his family.

“He’s alive,” Oliver spoke softly, but with conviction. “We’d know if he wasn’t.”

Felicity wanted to believe her husband, but the sense of foreboding she felt had only increased since Tommy was taken. Her imagination was running wild with thoughts of all the terrible things Malcolm was capable of. “He has them on a yacht, why?”

The ocean is a lot bigger area to search and he can see anyone approach,” Oliver, ever the tactician, explained.

“I can’t help but think it has something to with the Gambit,” Felicity said.

“Malcolm doesn’t have a bomb on his boat. Don’t over think this. Sometimes a boat is just a boat,” Oliver tried to reassure her.

Felicity wouldn’t voice her fears to Oliver, he had enough of his own, but she thought Malcolm would find it fitting for Tommy to die at sea. She forced a smile, “I’m sure you’re right.”

“Plus, the ocean is Tommy’s element – he’s practically a fish. He has the advantage over Malcolm on the open water,” Oliver reasoned.

A chirp sounded from Felicity’s tablet. She moved it to her lap and unlocked the sleeping screen. She fully expected to see a result from her search of the Yellow Sea. Looking for a luxury yacht was like looking for a needle in a haystack and she was anticipating her search to come up empty. She had a blinking alert informing her that she had a message. She assumed it was an update from Barry or Ray letting her know when they would meet them in Jeju. He heart skipped a beat when she realized who the message was from. “It’s Tommy,” she sat forward in her seat.

“What?” Oliver asked with surprise.

She looked up to find Dig, Sara, William and Emma crowding the aisle. Felicity read aloud, “Hi babe. So, that went well. I hope you and Ollie aren’t too mad at me, but I’m with the kids. They’re healthy and beautiful and they miss you. Malcolm has us on a yacht in the Indian Ocean. I’m including our last known coordinates. We are heading northeast, but a storm is coming and we’re going to be altering course and heading southwest. There are six former members of the League on board, plus Malcolm. I really hope you’ll be able to drop by soon. Tell Ollie, yachts still suck. I love you both. P.S. I promised Bobby a raise in his allowance. I did not, however, agree to a later bedtime.”

“Can we write back?” Oliver asked.

“Yeah, it looks like Bobby set up a secure channel for us,” she said absently as she looked up the coordinates. “They’re not far from Sri Lanka. We need to land in Colombo.”

Oliver stood up, “I’ll go talk to the pilots. We’re going to need to refuel somewhere.”

“I’ll let Barry and Ray know the change in plans,” she said.

“I’m going to call Lyla,” Dig said, “We’re going to need to keep an eye on that storm and figure out our amphibious assault in light of the location change and weather.”

“I’ll send a message to Nyssa. See if she can find out who the six are with Malcolm,” Sara pulled out her phone.

William shook his head and chuckled, “I don’t know how I feel about my little brother being so much smarter than me.”

A quiet sob escaped Emma. She covered her mouth, “Sorry.”

Felicity reached out a hand and took the young woman’s. Emma was going to stay on the plane when the rest of them left to retrieve the children. Felicity had wanted the children to see a familiar face when they were delivered to the plane by Barry. “They’re fine,” she smiled. “They’re going to be back with us soon.”

As Oliver stepped between Dig and William, Felicity called out, “Wait, what do I tell him?”

“Tell him that we’re coming.” Oliver turned towards the cockpit, but stopped. He looked over his shoulder and smiled, “Tell him that he’s right, yachts still suck, and tell Bobby, he can stay up as late as he wants.”

 

Tommy silently counted the seconds between the rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning. They had successfully avoided the brunt of the big storm, but had caught the tail end of another, less severe, weather system. It had been thirty-two hours since he’d sent the message to Felicity. Felicity had written back three times since his initial message and it had taken all his skill to act like a prisoner who’d given up around his dad. He rolled over and watched his children sleep. They were blissfully unaware of the storm raging outside or the one within his heart. Oliver, Felicity and the team were taking a big risk to rescue him. Tommy had tried to convince them to leave him behind and just send Barry for the children. The speedster was going to be able to whisk the children safely away in two trips, before Malcolm even knew what was happening. Tommy weighed too much for the speedster to carry across the ocean. Oliver and Felicity wouldn’t even entertain the idea of leaving him behind and Oliver’s last message simply said, “Shut up, Tommy. I’ll see you tonight.”

He checked the time on his watch and rose from the bed. Barry would be there any second. Tommy placed a kiss to the twins’ foreheads. They would be Barry’s first passengers of the night. He wasn’t going to wake them and risk their sleepy cries alerting the rest of the boat. He carefully dressed them in jackets to protect them from the rain.

Tommy was just finishing tying his own sneakers when a breeze alerted him to Barry’s arrival. Barry lowered his cowl and whispered, “Hey, Tommy. You okay?”

“Better, now that you’re here. Thank you for doing this,” Tommy clasped his friend’s shoulder.

“You would do the same for me.” Barry glanced at the sleeping children. “Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Tommy lied. He lifted Nate and held him close before handing him to Barry. He did the same with Prue.

“Emma’s waiting for them. They’ll be in her arms before they even realize they’re moving,” Barry promised.

Tommy blinked and Barry and the twins were gone.

“Da?” Bobby sat up rubbing his eyes.

“Sshh,” Tommy placed a finger to his lips.

“Is daddy here?” Bobby whispered.

“Not yet, but soon,” Tommy lifted Bobby from the bed. He handed him his windbreaker. “The Flash is going to take you and Becca to be with Emma. Nate and Prue are already there.”

“I don’t want to leave without you,” Bobby put his arms around Tommy’s waist.

“I’m going to be with your mommy and daddy. We’ll be right behind you. I need you to be brave for your sisters and brother,” Tommy helped Bobby into his sneakers.

Tommy stroked Becca’s cheek, “Rebecca, wake up sweetheart.”

Becca opened her eyes, but looked right through him. She obediently sat up and raised her arms when he slipped her windbreaker over her head. He tied her shoelaces and then lifted her into his arms.

“We need to be very quiet,” he opened his stateroom door and peered into the dim corridor. He gestured for Bobby to exit the room and he closed the door behind them. With Bobby’s hand in his, he moved quietly down the hall to the stairs. In the last communication he’d received from Felicity and Oliver, he’d been told to meet Barry with B2 on the sun deck. He needed to have the children tucked away before Oliver and the team arrived and the fighting began. Once Malcolm realized they were under attack, he would order Brian or Ronja to use the children as hostages.

A flash of lightning lit up the corridor on the main deck. Becca buried her face against his neck and shook in his arms. Tommy pressed himself against the far wall as they silently slipped past his dad’s room. They quickly climbed the steps to the sun deck and he guided the children to the bar and pointed to one of the cabinets, “Inside.”

Without question, Bobby opened the cabinet door and slipped inside. He held out his hand to his sister and she followed him inside. Tommy knelt and smiled at them, “I need you to stay quiet. You’re only to come out if someone from our family calls for you. The Flash is going to take you to Emma.”

“Where are you going?” Bobby asked.

“I’m going to stay right here and keep an eye on you.” Tommy caressed their cheeks, “Quiet, now. We’re going to see mommy and daddy soon.”

Tommy closed the cabinet door and quietly moved towards the stern. He closed his eyes and stretched out his hearing. Over the roaring of the ocean and the rumbles of thunder, he thought he could hear a helicopter. The boat rocked sharply beneath his feet and he was forced to brace himself against the wall. Like most of Oliver’s plans, this rescue was insane. He had no idea how Oliver was going to get everyone safely aboard the yacht. The storm was intensifying and even the normally stable yacht pitched beneath his feet. He glanced back at the bar before he slipped outside onto the open deck and was instantly lashed by a driving rain. Tommy moved to the railing and craned his neck towards the sky.

Lightning lit the sky and revealed the silhouette of an approaching attack helicopter. There were no shouts from the bridge, alerting Malcolm of the impending attack. The helicopter descended rapidly and buzzed overhead. Tommy followed and ran towards the bow as the helicopter lowered and hovered a few feet off the main deck. He watched as five dark figures jumped from the chopper and crouched low as they ran towards the main entrance. Tommy watched the chopper take off. The dark figures disappeared inside the yacht.

Tommy returned inside and quickly crossed to the bar. He opened one of the drawers and removed a bar towel. He wiped his face and was about to close the drawer when his eyes landed on a paring knife. His fingers were about to pick up the knife when he spotted the small ice pick. With his new weapon clutched in his hand, he sank onto the floor with his back against the cabinet holding Bobby and Becca. Malcolm’s men would have to get through him first to get to his children. “Daddy’s here,” he said into the darkness. “We’re going home.”

 

“Tommy and B2 are on the sun deck,” Felicity told Oliver as she followed him down a narrow corridor without lifting her eyes from her tablet. Overwatch was providing her with heat signatures, and she assumed the three, unmoving, tightly clustered figures were her family. “Two on the bridge. Everyone else is moving our way.”

“Go with William, secure the bridge, and get these lights off,” Oliver instructed his wife.

Felicity followed William until they reached the corridor to the bridge. She pulled on her gas mask, as a precaution and hung back. William nocked an arrow and quickly advanced on the bridge.

William returned in less than two minutes. “I didn’t need to use the gas. Hit them with injection arrows. They’re both secure. The bridge is yours.”

“Thanks, go help your dad,” she squeezed his arm before she went the way he came.

Felicity entered the bridge and secured the door. The two men William had taken out were bound, gagged and, most importantly, unconscious on the floor. She flipped a breaker and cut all power in the boat. The bridge was plunged into darkness. “I’m in,” Felicity told Oliver. “Archer, is coming your way.”

“Copy,” Oliver grunted. “Find me Malcolm.”

Oliver ducked as one of Malcolm’s assassins, a woman, threw a knife. The blade embedded in the wall behind him and he lunged at her. He tackled her to the ground and quickly injected her with a sedative. She went limp beneath him and he began to bind her. “Canary, three down,” he barked.

“Make that four,” she responded. “It was one of the women.”

“Two men left, plus Malcolm,” he replied as he ran down the corridor. “Overwatch, where’s Malcolm?”

“Three heat signatures, directly beneath you,” Felicity answered.

“Has the Flash returned?” he asked hoping the answer was, yes.

“Negative. The gooslings are in the nest, he’ll be back momentarily for the chicks.”

Oliver felt only a small measure of relief to know that Nate and Prue were safely aboard the jet. He’d only be able to breathe freely again when he learned that Bobby and Becca were safe too. “Ask him to hurry.” It was a ridiculous thing to ask of the speedster, but Barry was a father and he would understand Oliver’s sense of urgency.

“Where’s Atom?” Oliver asked, hoping they wouldn’t need Ray for backup in the next few minutes.

“Six minutes out. The weather is slowing him down,” Felicity answered.

At the bottom of the stairs he met up with Sara, Diggle and William. “We move forward,” Oliver told them.

“There is someone at your nine, twelve and two,” Felicity informed them. “I don’t know which is Malcolm.”

“I’ll take nine,” Dig stated.

“I’ll take two,” William moved into position.

“I’ve got your sixes,” Sara fell back.

“Now,” Oliver commanded and they moved forward as one.

Two figures in black leapt from the darkness. Oliver ignored them and continued forward in pursuit of his prey. Malcolm had crossed him for the last time. There would be no reprieve for Tommy’s father. Touching their children would be Malcolm’s final mistake.

A flash of lightning lit up the room and Oliver watched Malcolm exit into the rain. He pursued the man who’d caused his husband a lifetime of pain onto the forward deck. “On your knees,” Oliver shouted into the wind. He had an arrow pointed straight at Malcolm’s heart.

“I underestimated him. How did he get word to you?” Malcolm asked as he stepped to his left.

Oliver had no intention of indulging Malcolm in idle chit chat. “On your knees,” he ordered again.

“If you’re going to kill me, do it now. I won’t die on my knees,” Malcolm spread his arms wide.

“Done,” Oliver growled.

 

As soon as Felicity heard Oliver engage Malcolm, she exited the bridge and took the outside stairs to the forward deck. She could hear every word Oliver spoke to Malcolm. She was stepping off the last stair as Oliver released his arrow. A strong gale of wind sent Oliver’s arrow wide and Malcolm took off in a run. Oliver was drawing another arrow when Felicity caught movement from the corner of her eye. A lounge chair had been picked up by the wind and slammed into Oliver’s back. He collapsed to the deck.

“Oliver,” Felicity shouted as she ran across the slippery deck. She slid on her knees that last three feet to his side. Her fingers felt for a pulse and she thanked the heavens when she found one. She cradled his head in her lap and quickly scanned the deck for Malcolm. Her eyes landed on him and the gun he held pointed at them. He was inching along the railing towards the entrance of the main deck.

 Malcolm sneered, “Your children will have nowhere to hide when you’re both dead.”

Oliver stirred in her arms.

 

The sound of Felicity calling out Oliver’s name was carried by the wind. Tommy was instantly on his feet, the ice pick clutched tightly in his hand, and moved towards the bow. He opened the door in time to see his father point a gun at Felicity who was cradling Oliver’s head in her lap.

“Da,” Bobby shouted.

Tommy whipped around and yelled, “Go back inside, Robert. Now.”

“But, da,” Bobby reached for him.

Tommy pointed towards the bar and saw Becca standing in the doorway, her eyes wide in fear, “Your sister needs you.”

Bobby hesitated and turned back to look at his sister.

The sound of Malcolm’s voice drew Tommy’s attention away from his children. Oliver and Felicity were completely exposed. If Malcolm opened fire, they would die. He saw the moment his dad decided to shoot. Without thought, Tommy leapt over the side of the railing towards his dad. One arm wrapped around his dad’s shoulder, the other drove the ice pick into his dad’s neck. Lightning lit up his dad’s face and Malcolm’s eyes widened with surprise. Tommy wasn’t sure which of them was surprised more by the fact that he was his father’s son after all. He felt as if he’d been punched in the chest as they spun and toppled over the railing. He held onto his father tightly as they tumbled through the air together and a burning pain spread through his chest.

It occurred to Tommy that he’d been shot as they plunged into the churning water and the ocean swallowed them whole. A wave crashed over them and his dad was pulled from his grip. Even in the inky darkness he reached for his dad, needing to be sure that there would be no escape for either of them. His fingers grabbed hold of his dad’s shirt and Tommy wrapped himself around his dad’s body. Tommy was powerless against the undertow and he chose not to fight the current. Deep down, he’d known it was always going to end like this. It had taken forty-four years, but father and son had finally succeeded in destroying the other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I imagine many of you aren't speaking to me any longer. 
> 
> I have known how Malcolm dies since I wrote, Wherever You Are, There I Am. I've had the ending of this chapter written for more than a year. I had to make some small adjustments. When I first wrote the scene, I hadn't planned on there being children in this verse (I know, it's hard to believe there was a time I didn't like kidfic). The other big change, the fight was supposed to be onboard the Sunnybrook and the person kidnapped was Thea. I always planned on Tommy sacrificing himself to save Oliver and Felicity.
> 
> There are bigger twists to come in chapter 8.
> 
> I recommend a dose of, Saturdays with the Green Arrow, to remind you of the better days to come. Everything will be all right, I promise. http://archiveofourown.org/works/7208756
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


	8. Zatanna Zatara

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Tommy and Malcolm's confrontation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the end of the 100th installment. Thank you for taking this crazy journey with me. 
> 
> Decisions are made and actions are taken in this chapter without consent. The issues of consent within this chapter are not sexual in nature, but might be upsetting for some of you. Before you read the final chapter, I wanted you to be aware that one of our main three will have a complete loss of personal agency.

The world was out of focus as Oliver began to regain consciousness. He was aware of the falling rain and the feel of Felicity’s hands checking him for injuries, but he wasn’t sure how he’d lost consciousness. The last thing he remembered was aiming an arrow for Malcolm’s heart. Felicity’s fingers twisted in his jacket and he could feel her fear radiating through her body. He lifted his head enough to see Malcolm pointing a gun at them, but when he tried to sit up, his body refused to cooperate.

Oliver didn’t see Tommy until it was too late.

“Tommy,” Felicity shrieked as she watched Malcolm fire his gun into their husband’s chest and then topple over the side of the yacht, together.

A blood curdling scream cut through the night air and Oliver looked up to see Bobby and Becca standing at the railing staring at the spot where their father had disappeared. “Da,” was torn from both of their throats with such grief that the hair on the back of Oliver’s neck stood on end.

Oliver rolled onto his hands and knees and struggled to stand up. Diggle, William and Sara ran onto the deck. Their eyes swept the area looking to find the source of the agonized screaming.

Barry materialized onto the deck and Felicity shouted at him, “Get them out of here.”

There was a blur of red and then silence. The children and their terrible screams were gone.

Felicity ran to the railing and looked into the water below. “Tommy,” she screamed.

“Get the lights,” Diggle barked at William and Sara as he ran for the railing.

Oliver staggered to her side and held onto the railing for balance. He looked into the dark water and saw nothing. “Tommy,” his voice sounded unnatural to his own ears.

“Oliver,” Diggle grabbed his shoulder and shook him hard. “There should be a smaller boat on this thing, right?”

“Yes,” Oliver said coming back to himself. “Yes, there should be a skiff on the lower deck.”

Oliver and Dig began to run, but the appearance of blue and red lights flashing in the sky, halted them in their tracks. What appeared to be a missile hit the water and disappeared beneath the surface. As suddenly as the lights disappeared, they reappeared hovering over the water. A mechanical whining filled the night air as the ATOM and his cargo slammed hard onto the yacht. Ray, Tommy and Malcolm tumbled across the deck.

Oliver and Felicity rushed to Tommy’s side as the deck was flooded with lights from the recently restored power.

Oliver turned Tommy onto his back and cradled him in his lap. “Tommy,” he begged, as his fingers felt for a pulse, “open your eyes. Open your eyes.” The faint pulse beneath his fingertips gave him hope. As long as Tommy’s heart was beating, his world would continue to spin.

“Is he breathing?” Diggle asked as he used a knife to cut through Tommy’s layers. His strong hands took the fabric and tore Tommy’s coat and shirt asunder, revealing a chest wound.

Felicity’s hands covered the hole as she desperately tried to stop the blood that was pouring from the wound with every breath Tommy took. “Dig,” she pleaded.

Diggle’s lips were pressed tightly together in grim realization. “I’ll find towels and a med kit,” he said and he ran back inside.

Felicity removed her jacket and stripped out of her shirt. Ignoring the icy rain hitting her bear skin, she pressed her dry shirt hard against Tommy’s chest and he flinched.

Tommy opened his eyes and began to cough up water. “Are they safe?” he asked as soon as his coughing stopped.

Oliver pushed the hair from Tommy’s eyes, “Yeah, Barry got them. Everyone’s fine. You’re going to be fine. We’re going home.”  Oliver held his husband closer, “You’re going to be fine.”

Tommy touched his chest and his fingers came away red with his blood, “You’re a terrible liar.”

Felicity swatted Tommy’s hand out of her way and she shifted to put more of her weight against the wound, “You promised you’d never leave me. You’ve never broken your promise to me before, don’t start now.”

Tommy eyed her up and down, “You never could keep your clothing on around me.”

Felicity couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re incorrigible.”

“It’s why you love me,” he reminded her.

“One of many,” she pressed harder against his wound. “You need to stick around for all the other reasons.”

Tommy smiled weakly and his eyes drooped, “I’m sorry, babe. I love you. You’ve made me so happy. Forgive me, I think I’m going to need to break my promise.”

Felicity pressed her lips to Tommy’s, “I love you too. Keep fighting.”

Tommy’s eyes fell shut.

“Tommy,” Oliver shook his husband’s shoulders. “Open your eyes.” Tommy’s eyes opened and Oliver inhaled sharply with relief. “I love you.” Oliver removed Tommy’s wedding ring from where it rested over his own. He returned it to his husband’s finger, “I kept it safe for you.”

Tommy’s thumb rubbed the band and tears spilled from his eyes, “I’ve felt naked without it.”

“You can’t leave me,” Oliver dropped his head to Tommy’s, “I won’t survive losing you.”

Tommy reached for Oliver’s hand, “It’s okay. You’re going to be okay.” He smiled, “I have always loved you, death won’t stop that.”

“Why?” Oliver asked through his sobs. “Why did you do that?” Over the years, too many people had put themselves between him and death. His parents both sacrificed themselves to save him and now Tommy had gone and done the last thing Oliver ever wanted him to do. “It should’ve been me.”

“No, Ollie. The world doesn’t make sense without you both in it and our kids need you,” Tommy answered.

“We all need you,” Felicity kissed his hand.

“Oh my god, Tommy,” Sara said as she ran across the deck with William on her heels. She pushed Felicity to the side and shoved Oliver’s shoulder. “Lay him flat,” she instructed. Sara fumbled with her pocket and removed a flask. “Help me roll him, I need to see if there’s an exit wound.”

Oliver did as he was told. As soon as Felicity stopped putting pressure on Tommy’s chest, his husband appeared to lose consciousness.

Sara rolled Tommy onto his side, and revealed the exit wound in his back. Diggle arrived with a med kit and an armful of towels. Sara pressed a towel against Tommy’s back and eased him back down. She wiped at his chest wound with another towel. Sara unscrewed the cap to the flask. “It’s a through and through. I think this will work.”

“What is that?” Oliver asked. He had a suspicion of what the flask contained and hope flared in his chest.

“Water from the Pit in Jeju,” Sara told him. “I collected some before Nyssa poisoned it. I had a feeling we might need it if we confronted Malcolm.”

Tommy’s eyes flew open and he used his legs to push himself away from them. “No,” he rasped, “not the Lazarus Pit. Please, Ollie, no. They’ll never be safe. None of you will.”

Oliver took hold of Tommy’s shoulders, “Please don’t ask me to let you die. I can’t let you die if there is a way to save you.”

Oliver looked to Felicity and he could see the same look of terror and determination that he felt. Felicity bit her lip, but she nodded her consent.

“Ollie,” Sara said sharply. “He’ll die if we don’t.”

Oliver closed his eyes as another terrible choice, made out of fear of loss, played across his memory. It seemed like only yesterday that Sara, Shado and he had made the choice to try and save a dying Slade Wilson with Mirakuru. That choice had devastating consequences, but Oliver couldn’t think about consequences. The thought of living another forty years without Tommy by his side was unthinkable.  “Do it,” Oliver told Sara.

“No,” Tommy screamed. His back arched off the deck. “Please, Ollie, let me die.”

Under any other circumstance, Tommy’s word would be more powerful than Oliver’s desire, but not when his life was on the line. Tommy wasn’t going to get a vote. He was going to live, there was no other choice to make, even if it made Tommy hate him. “I’m sorry,” Oliver wept, “I can’t.”

“No,” Tommy’s scream was carried away by a strong gust of wind. “Felicity, please. Don’t let them.”

“Hold him down,” Sara yelled as Tommy mustered the strength to push away from them again.

Oliver and Dig grabbed hold of Tommy’s arms and William took hold of his legs. Felicity threw herself across his waist.

“I’m sorry,” Sara told Tommy, “this is going to hurt.”

They held him down as Sara poured the water from the Pit directly into the wound.

Tommy let out a scream of agony as he thrashed against those who restrained him. Tommy suddenly went limp beneath them and his screams went silent. Oliver watched as the wound began to bubble and froth and gradually knitted itself closed.

“He’s all right,” Sara told them. “The pain has caused him to lose consciousness.”

Felicity wiped at the blood on Tommy’s chest. “It’s gone, she said with amazement.”

Years ago, Oliver had seen the Pit save Nyssa, but even after witnessing it before, it was no less amazing the second time.

Diggle placed a finger against Tommy’s neck, “His pulse is weak and thready. He needs a blood transfusion.”

“Ronja,” Sara said, “one of the female assassins, is a doctor. Maybe there is medical equipment we can use.”

“Do you know his blood type?” Dig asked.

“B positive,” Felicity answered.

“Let’s get him inside,” Diggle said. “I can give him my blood if we have the materials we need.”

Oliver put his arms beneath Tommy’s shoulders and knees and lifted his husband into his arms. When he tried to stand, his own injuries protested and he couldn’t get off his knees.

William’s hand landed gently on Oliver’s shoulder, “Dad, let me.” Oliver carefully passed Tommy into William’s waiting arms.  William rose effortlessly with his step-father in his arms. “I’ve got him,” he said reverently.

Felicity helped Oliver to his feet and he crushed her to his chest. “He’s going to be okay,” Oliver told Felicity to reassure her as much as himself.

Diggle draped Felicity’s coat over her bare shoulders and she slipped it back on, one arm at a time. She seemed reluctant to let go of Oliver. She began to shiver and Oliver held her tighter.

A loud clang made them jump apart. Ray had dropped the last of his ATOM suit to the deck. “Sorry about that. Turns out, the suit isn’t so much waterproof as water resistant,” he said sheepishly.

Felicity walked up to Ray and crooked her finger. He leaned forward and she placed a kiss onto his cheek. “Thank you. You saved him.”

“I’m sorry I was late,” Ray apologized.

Over the years, Ray Palmer’s earnestness and awkward sense of humor had tried Oliver’s patience. Oliver felt shame for every uncharitable thought he ever had about Ray. The scientist had always come through for them. He never hesitated when they called on him for help. Ray Palmer was a good man and a loyal friend. Oliver held out his hand, “You were right on time. Thank you.”

“I’m just glad he’s okay.” Ray inclined his head to the side, “His dad didn’t make it. I think he was dead before he hit the water.”

Felicity walked over to Malcolm. His eyes stared blankly into the night sky. She knelt and closed his eyes and began to cry.

Oliver understood her tears. For nearly four decades, the man had caused pain and suffering wherever he went. Tommy and Thea were the only good thing the man ever had a hand in creating. His wife didn’t weep for the monster, but for her husband. Malcolm’s final act was to turn his son into a killer, a fact, Oliver feared, Tommy would never get over. “We’ll help him through this,” Oliver held out his hand and she took it. “Let’s go check on Tommy.”

“What do you want me to do with Merlyn?” Diggle asked.

“Throw him back into the ocean,” Oliver said.

“Don’t. I think Tommy should decide,” Felicity told Oliver.

Oliver wanted to protect Tommy from having to see the final results of his actions. The hole in Malcolm’s neck was something Tommy didn’t need to see. As much as he wanted to keep reality away from Tommy, Felicity was right – it should be Tommy’s decision. “We need to secure the prisoners.”

“Ray and I will deal with them,” Diggle said, “you go check on Tommy.”

 

Oliver and Felicity sat in silence as they watched the steady rise and fall of Tommy’s chest. It had been three hours since he’d been pulled from the ocean and received the water from the Lazarus Pit. Tommy hadn’t stirred once since he’d lost consciousness. Much to Oliver’s surprise, Malcolm had seen to stocking the yacht with medical supplies. There was a supply of blood onboard in case there was an emergency. Tommy was on his third blood transfusion and second bag of fluids and Oliver was grateful his husband was no longer the same color as the sheets he rested upon.

“He’s going to be furious with us,” Felicity’s voice was strained. “What if he doesn’t forgive us?”

Oliver dropped his head into his hands, “I can’t think about that now. He’s alive, he can be as mad as he wants when he wakes up.”

“He told us no, and we ignored him,” Felicity wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“If we listened, he’d be dead. Is that the choice you wanted to make?” Oliver asked angrily.

Felicity turned to face him, her eyes flashing with hurt and anger, “Of course not. I would’ve put him in the Pit myself, if it meant saving him. It’s just that,” Felicity looked back towards Tommy.

“He’s going to be angry,” Oliver finished her sentence.

“Yeah,” she sank back against her chair.

The sound of the I.V. pole rattling shifted their attention back to the bed. Tommy was pulling at his transfusion. Oliver crossed the room and grabbed Tommy’s hand, “Hey, buddy, you need to leave that.”

Tommy moaned, “I need to pee.”

Despite the tension in the room, Oliver chuckled. With the amount of fluids being pumped into Tommy he wasn’t surprised what woke him was the need to use the bathroom. “Can you open your eyes for me.”

Tommy’s eyes blinked sluggishly, but when he was able to open them, he looked at Oliver, “You look like shit.”

“Well, you scared the shit out of me,” Oliver squeezed Tommy’s hand. “Do you think you can sit up?”

Tommy managed to push himself up and Oliver placed a hand on his back for extra support. Tommy eyed the bag of blood and then looked down at his bare chest. His hand tentatively touched the spot that had recently had a bullet hole in it and let out a shaky breath. His trembling hand ran through his hair and Tommy began to swear under his breath.

Oliver’s shoulders stiffened as he waited for the inevitable explosion. When Tommy remained lost in his thoughts, he pushed, “Tommy?”

Tommy’s head snapped back up and he swung his legs over the side of the bed. His eyes had regained their focus and his gaze was steely. “I need to pee first.”

Oliver helped Tommy to his feet. Before they could start walking towards the bathroom, Felicity wrapped her arms around Tommy and rested her ear against his chest. Tommy’s hand cradled the back of her head before placing a kiss to it.

Tommy pulled from Felicity’s arms and used the I.V. pole for support. “I’ll be right back,” he informed his spouses.

Felicity slipped her hand into Oliver’s and they stared at the bathroom door, long after it closed. “He’s beyond furious,” Felicity whispered.

Oliver let out a shaky breath at his wife’s understatement, “Yeah.” He’d known Tommy for forty-four years. A quiet and controlled Tommy was always terrifying and it had been a long time since he’d seen his husband this angry.

The bathroom door opened and Tommy leaned heavily against his pole. He looked directly at Oliver, “Go ahead and say what you need to say.”

Oliver’s fingers rubbed together, “I won’t apologize for doing what was necessary to save your life.”

Tommy looked to Felicity, “Is your position the same or do you have something else to offer?”

Felicity straightened her shoulders, “We had no choice. We couldn’t let you die, Tommy. You have to know that.”

Tommy looked at his feet as he processed what they said. When he finally looked, Oliver’s heart sank. Tommy’s fury hadn’t been lessened by their confessions. “Is my dad dead?”

“Yes,” Oliver answered.

“I killed him?”

“Yes.”

“And you still thought it was a good idea to use water from the Lazarus Pit on me?” Tommy asked calmly.

“Yes.”

“What about our children?” Tommy challenged.

Oliver was confused, “What about our children?”

Tommy’s eyes were accusatory. “Did you even think about them when you let Sara pour that poison into my chest?”

“Of course, I was thinking about them,” Oliver said angrily. “I was thinking that our children needed their father - alive.”

“And what happens when I turn into him?”

Oliver shook his head, “That will never happen. You’re nothing like him.”

Tommy’s brow raised, but his tone remained detached. “I think the ice pick I jammed into his throat says something different.”

“You were protecting us,” Oliver reminded his husband. He wasn’t going to allow Tommy to paint himself as a homicidal lunatic.

“Are you going to risk the lives of our children on that belief?”

Oliver was trying his best not to allow his frustration to show, but sometimes Tommy made it impossible. “We’re not risking anything. You’re an incredible father.”

For the first time since they started arguing, Tommy raised his voice, “So was he, until Ra’s put him in the Pit.”

“You always do that.” Oliver scoffed angrily, “You remember him differently than who he was. He left you – no, he abandoned you. Things got tough and he walked away. That’s not a good father. You would never do that.”

Tommy lifted his chin, “He left because he killed the man who murdered my mom.”

“What?” This was new information to Oliver. As far as he knew, Rebecca Merlyn’s murderer had never been identified.

“He left because he feared he was unfit to raise me. He left to protect me,” Tommy said with increasing agitation.

“He told you this?” Oliver tried to mask his skepticism.

“Yes.”

Oliver had no way of knowing if the story was true, but he knew enough about Malcolm Merlyn to have his doubts. “And you believe him?”

“He had no reason to lie.”

Oliver ran his hands over his head and quietly said, “All that man ever did was lie to you – so he could manipulate you – so he could hurt you. You can’t trust a thing he ever told you.”

“You should’ve let me die,” tears leaked from Tommy’s eyes, “because now I have to leave our children of my own free will.” He pounded his fist against his chest, “Now I have to abandon them to protect them.”

“No,” Felicity said fiercely as she stepped between her husbands. She yanked on Tommy’s arms until he looked down at her. “You are doing no such thing. You are coming home with us and we’re going to put this behind us.”

“I can’t, Felicity. I can’t go home and risk that they’ll ever look at me with fear. What if I hurt them?” Tommy’s voice broke.

Felicity ran her hands up and down Tommy’s arms, trying to sooth him. “You would never hurt them.”

“What if I’m just like him? What if I lose control?” Tommy asked desperately.

Oliver placed his hand on Felicity’s shoulder, “We’ll be there. We’ll make sure they’re safe. If it looks like the Pit is changing you, we’ll get you away from the kids. Okay?”

Tommy shook his head and backed away from his spouses, “I won’t gamble with their lives. I won’t do to them, what he did to me.”

“You’re tired,” Felicity said gently. “You been through a serious trauma. You shouldn’t make any decisions right now.”

“What if I do something so terrible, one of our sons is forced to kill me?” Tommy began to sob. “I won’t do that to Bobby or Nate.”

“Hey,” Oliver clasped Tommy’s face between his hands. “That is never going to happen. You are not your father. You are the man that we love and our children love.”

Tommy’s hands wrapped around Oliver’s wrists. “Ollie, you should’ve let me die.” Tommy’s knees buckled, taking him and Oliver to the ground. “You should’ve let me die.”

 

The water lapped against the boat launch. Oliver and Felicity stood to the side and watched as Diggle and Ray placed Malcolm’s shrouded body into a small skiff. Tommy stood in the shadows watching silently. He stepped forward with a can of gasoline.

John gently took hold of Tommy’s arm, “Are you sure you want to do it this way? Lyla can arrange for his body to be brought home and buried.”

Tommy shook his head, “I want to make sure no one can ever bring him back.”

Tommy poured the gasoline over his dad’s body and tossed the empty plastic can back onto the deck. He stood at the bow of the small boat with his head lowered for several minutes. Oliver could feel Felicity becoming restless beneath his arm. She wanted to comfort Tommy, they both did, but he was too angry to be comforted.

Tommy lifted his head, “Fuck you, dad.” He braced his hands on the bow of the boat and ran it down the ramp and into the water. He stood at the bottom of the launch and watched the boat begin to drift away.

“Okay,” Dig said into a walkie talkie.

The yacht’s engine roared to life and they began to move forward.

Unable to watch Tommy endure another moment alone, Oliver led Felicity down the ramp. They stood on either side of their husband and watched the boat get further and further away. Felicity slipped her hand into Tommy’s and he laced their fingers together. Oliver wrapped his arm around Tommy’s shoulder and took it as a good sign when he didn’t shrug it off.

“Go ahead,” Dig instructed William through the walkie talkie.

An arrow glided through the air and landed in the boat, igniting it. Flames shot into the air and the boat was engulfed in flames. The engine of the yacht went silent. Oliver was aware of Diggle and Ray leaving them alone.

Tommy stood silently with his eyes trained on the burning boat. No tears fell from his eyes as he watched his father’s funeral pyre. They watched the flames burn for fifteen minutes and when it appeared the fire had nearly burnt itself out, four more arrows sailed through the air and landed in the boat. Five seconds later there was an explosion. The fire roared back to life again, and the boat began to sink beneath the surface.

When nothing remained, Tommy said, “Let’s go home.”

 

The helicopter landed beside their jet on the private airfield in Colombo. Ray had stayed behind with Sara on the yacht to wait for Nyssa and the League to take custody of the prisoners. The ATOM suit was returning with Oliver, Felicity, William and Diggle on the jet. Felicity had promised to help repair the suit that had a hand in saving Tommy’s life.

Barry was leaning against the jet’s stairs waiting for them as they stepped out of the helicopter. Oliver held Felicity’s hand as they crossed the tarmac.

“Everything all right?” Oliver asked the speedster.

“The local officials are a bit too inquisitive. They were giving Emma a hard time when I arrived with the twins. I had to wait for them to finish before I could leave the twins. I thought the Flash dropping by might cause them to ask more questions.” Barry stood up straight and looked at Tommy, “I’m glad to see you, but I know two kids who really need to see you. Last night was rough.”

“Thanks for staying with them,” Felicity said.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you stateside.” Barry hugged Felicity and then sped off.

Oliver squeezed Tommy’s shoulder, “You better go first. They need to see you’re okay.”

Tommy took a deep breath and released it slowly before he climbed the stairs. Oliver and Felicity were right behind him, anxious to be reunited with their children.

“Who wants to go home?” he asked with a forced bright smile.

Bobby and Becca’s head appeared from the back of the plane where there was a small sofa that could be converted into a bed for long flights. Their faces were tearstained and they looked ashen.

“Da?” Bobby asked uncertainly. He rubbed his eyes and looked at Emma, “Am I dreaming?”

“You’re not dreaming, little man,” Tommy promised.

Bobby looked past Tommy to Oliver and Felicity and then back to Tommy, “I saw you get shot and fall off the boat. I thought you died.”

Tommy lifted his shirt to show the children that he didn’t have any injuries, “Don’t always believe what you see.”

Becca pushed past her brother and ran down the cabin’s aisle and launched herself into Tommy’s arms. She buried her face into the crook of his neck and began to cry. Tommy held her close and rocked her side to side. “I’m okay, baby. Everyone’s safe.”

Tommy took a step back as Bobby collided with him. Bobby buried his face in Tommy’s shirt and sobbed. Tommy lowered himself to his knees and held Bobby against his chest. He pressed kisses into Bobby’s curly hair, “It’s okay. You did so good. You saved us.”

Bobby sagged against Tommy and all three ended up on the floor as the children tried to get even closer to Tommy. The twins appeared from behind Emma and toddled their way towards their parents. They looked confused by their crying siblings and Prue began to gently pat Becca’s back. Nate squeezed himself between Bobby and Becca and found his way onto Tommy’s lap.

Oliver pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes and wiped his tears away. There had been times when he feared they’d never all be together again. To see everyone safe and whole was all he ever wanted. “Doesn’t anyone want to say hello to me?” he teased.

Bobby lifted his head from Tommy’s chest and looked at Oliver. He held out his arms and Oliver lifted him over Tommy into his arms. “Hi, daddy, I missed you.” He reached for Felicity, “I missed you too.”

Oliver kissed his son, “We missed you too. We’re so proud of you.”

“Mommy,” Prue said as she squeezed between her dads.

“Hi sweetheart,” Felicity picked up her youngest and buried her face in her daughter’s curls.

Nate pulled on Oliver’s pant leg and he lifted his other son. With a boy in each arm, he began to pepper them with kisses, “I missed you guys so much.”

Tommy rose to his feet and turned to face his spouses. They sandwiched the four children between them as best they could in the narrow aisle. Felicity rested her hand on Becca’s back, “Hi, sweetheart. Can I have a hug?”

Becca didn’t lift her head, she just clung to Tommy tighter.

“I’m not going anywhere, baby, I promise,” Tommy said against his daughter’s ear as he looked into Oliver’s eyes.

“Daddy, can we go home now?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah, I think we can do that,” Oliver replied.

 

“What’s our cover story?” Tommy asked as soon as Oliver disconnected his call with Amanda Waller.

The children, including William, were asleep and Felicity was staring out the window as their limo drove through the empty Starling City streets.

“As far as the media know, we haven’t left our home in all this time. Donna, Quentin, Thea and Roy have been coming and going to make it look like they’re visiting us,” Oliver explained.

“Who is Waller setting up this time?” Tommy asked coolly.

“She has an unidentified homeless woman from the morgue. She’s created a paper trail for a woman who lost her own children in a car accident. The story will be that she came across the kids after the car accident and took them home with her. She took good care of the kids – thought they were hers. When the FBI tracked her down, she took her own life,” Oliver said with complete detachment. “We’ll issue a press release tomorrow.”

“What’s one more death to saddle our kids with?” Tommy muttered as he redirected his attention out the window.

 

Bobby’s cry of terror woke Oliver from his sleep. He quickly turned on his bedside lamp. When he rolled over, Tommy was already cradling Bobby against his chest.

“Da,” Bobby wailed, over and over.

“It’s okay, Bobby. I’m right here,” Tommy rocked their son in his arms.

Bobby’s heart rendering screams continued and Oliver hated that he was powerless to take away his child’s pain. It had been three weeks since they’d returned home and their hope that everything would return to normal had been dashed from almost the moment they landed back in Starling. Watching Tommy plummet into the storm churned ocean had emotionally scarred Bobby and Becca.

Becca hadn’t spoken a word since Barry had delivered her to Emma. She’d been unable to return to school, because of separation anxiety. If one her parents wasn’t close by, Becca would make herself sick.

Bobby wasn’t fairing much better. He’d returned to school, but every night, since their return, Bobby woke the house with his night terrors. After the second night, they’d decided to keep Bobby in their bed hoping he’d feel safe falling asleep between Tommy and Felicity. The proximity to his parents hadn’t helped.

Becca appeared in their doorway, her eyes wide with fear. Her eyes scanned the room and settled on Felicity.

“It’s okay, baby,” Felicity said as she got out of bed. “Bobby’s having a bad dream.” She lifted Becca into her arms and their five-year-old wrapped her arms and legs around Felicity.

“No,” Bobby shrieked and he jolted in Tommy’s arms.

Tommy brushed Bobby’s hair from his eyes, “It’s dada. You’re okay. You’re safe.”

Bobby reached a shaking hand to Tommy’s face. “You died, da. I saw the bad man kill you.”

“Sshh,” Tommy held Bobby tight. “I’m right here. It was only a nightmare. Everyone’s safe.”

Bobby began to weep and collapsed against Tommy’s chest.

Tommy looked at Oliver with complete helplessness in his eyes. Oliver could see the guilt over what had happened eating away at his husband. Not only did Tommy blame himself for his dad’s actions, his dad’s death and his fears about the Pit were weighing on him too.

Tommy began to sing softly and Bobby’s crying began to slow. Becca reached out towards Tommy.  Felicity put her down onto the bed and Becca crawled over to her dad. He lifted one of his arms and Becca ducked beneath and cuddled against his side.

“I’m going to check on the twins,” Felicity whispered to Oliver.

“I’ll come with,” Oliver told her.

He followed her out of the room and paused at the doorway to tell Tommy he would be right back. The sight of Tommy and B2, lost in their grief and fear, made Oliver wish he had been the one to end Malcolm Merlyn. Even from the grave, Malcolm was hurting his family.

Oliver entered the nursery to see Felicity standing over Prue’s crib. Sometime during the night, Nate had climbed out of his crib and into Prue’s. They were curled around each other like a pair of puppies. He wrapped his arms around his wife, “At least these two are okay.”

“The three of them can’t go on like this,” Felicity said softly. “I can’t take another night of Bobby screaming like that. I want to hear Becca’s voice. Tommy is retreating into himself more and more each day.”

“They need time,” Oliver insisted.

“Tommy’s getting worse,” she hissed. “He’s not eating. He’s not sleeping. This is worse than after Nanda Parbat.” Felicity wrapped her arms around herself, “We’re losing them.”

“The therapist says we need to be patient. They’ve had a trauma,” he repeated the words the ARGUS therapist used. Oliver and his spouses had reluctantly agreed to use an ARGUS therapist when they realized the children weren’t improving and they couldn’t have the kids tell a civilian therapist about their ordeal. Tommy had declined the offer of an ARGUS therapist. He’d voiced concern that Waller could use his therapy to blackmail Oliver.

Felicity turned to face her husband, “I know that Oliver, but, you have to see – he’s killing himself – slowly.”

“No,” Oliver said angrily as he pulled her from the nursery and into Bobby’s empty bedroom. He closed the door behind them. “Tommy wouldn’t do that. Not to our kids. Not when they’re already in so much pain.”

Tears fell from Felicity’s eyes, “I don’t think he’s doing it on purpose. I think his mind is just shutting down. He’s going through the motions, but he’s not here with us.”

“Do you think it’s the Pit?” Never before had Oliver prayed for Tommy to have a relapse of his depression.

“I asked Sara,” Felicity answered. “According to the League’s Pit experts, depression isn’t one of the usual side effects. She said he shouldn’t be having any side effects, at all. His exposure was minimal, it was his first time and he was alive when he was exposed.”

Oliver wasn’t ready to concede that Tommy wouldn’t pull himself out of the spiral he was in. “He’s managed through his depression before. He’ll get through it this time too. We just need to be patient and keep an eye on him. Maybe he needs his meds adjusted again.”

“I always blamed his depression on Malcolm,” she said wiping her tears. “How could anyone grow up like that and not be depressed?” Felicity looked at the floor, “What if it’s genetic? What if this is just the beginning for Bobby and Becca?”

“Hon,” Oliver took hold of her shoulders, “you’re conflating depression with PTSD. We need to keep what’s going on with Tommy separate from what’s happening with Bobby and Becca.”

Felicity stepped into Oliver’s arms and rested her forehead against his chest. “I’m afraid,” she confessed.

“I know you are,” he rubbed her back until her tears stopped. “Let’s go back to bed.”

The sight that greeted them as they returned to their room made Oliver’s heart lurch. In the dim light, Tommy’s recent weight loss was pronounced. His cheeks looked hollow and his eyes sunken. He was in the center of the bed leaning against the headboard with his eyes closed as he sang. Becca appeared to be asleep, but Bobby was whimpering as his small shoulders shook. It was easy to forget that Bobby was only eight. His intelligence often masked that he was still a little boy.

Oliver got back into bed and slipped behind Bobby. He wrapped his arm around his son’s chest and placed his hand flat over Bobby’s heart. Oliver kissed his son’s head and began to speak soothingly to him. “We love you so much. You’re safe. Your dad is safe.” Bobby shuddered against him. “Breathe with me. Okay?” Bobby nodded. “Breathe in, slowly – one – two – three – four – five. Breathe out, slowly – one – two – three – four – five. That’s my guy. Let’s try it again.” Bobby’s breathing became less ragged after each pass, until it became deep and even.

“I think he’s asleep,” Oliver said to his husband. Tommy’s eyes were closed, but tears rolled down his face. Oliver carefully sat up, so he wouldn’t disturb Bobby. He wrapped an arm around Tommy’s shoulder and caressed his cheek with his other hand. “We’re going to figure this out.”

Tommy tilted his head towards Oliver, “I’m so tired.”

“I know you are,” Oliver kissed Tommy softly. “Lay down.” He picked up Bobby and Tommy shifted until he was flat on his back. “Move closer,” he told his husband. Tommy scooted closer and Oliver placed their son between Tommy and Becca. He turned off the light and laid back down. “Roll over,” he instructed.

Tommy rolled onto his side and Oliver spooned him from behind. He placed his hand flat over Tommy’s heart and ran the fingers of his other hand through his hair. “We love you so much. You’re safe. Our children are safe.” Tommy let out a small sob. “Breathe with me. Okay?” Tommy nodded. “Breathe in, slowly – one – two – three – four – five. Breathe out, slowly – one – two – three – four – five. That’s my guy. Let’s try it again.” Tommy’s breathing became less ragged after each pass, until it became deep and even and he fell asleep.

Felicity’s fingers knotted with Oliver’s over Tommy’s chest. He repeated their family mantra into the darkness, “We’re going to get through this like we get through everything.”

“Together,” Felicity replied.

“Together,” Oliver affirmed. They had no other choice. They hadn’t gone through hell to lose everything now that they were all home and safe.

 

One week later, Oliver, Tommy and Felicity were laying on the sofa watching, It Happened One Night. Tommy’s head was in Felicity’s lap and she was running her fingers through his hair as they recited the dialogue of the movie to one another as Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert spoke on screen. In what was a long running inside joke from the summer when Oliver had disappeared to Lian Yu, Felicity was reciting Clark’s lines and Tommy was repeating Claudette’s.

Oliver’s fingers absently trailed up and down Tommy’s legs that were draped across his lap. Oliver hadn’t seen any improvement in Tommy over the past week. If anything, he seemed worse. His clothes were visibly loose and he’d stopped shaving. Bobby and Becca weren’t improving, but at least they hadn’t gotten worse. They all seemed trapped in a terrible holding pattern.

The doorbell rang and Tommy’s head popped up from Felicity’s lap. Oliver squeezed his leg, “It’s okay. Keep watching, I’ll get the door.”

Oliver was surprised when he opened the door to find Ray Palmer and Zatanna Zatara standing on his front stoop.

“Hi, Oliver. Sorry about calling so late,” Ray said as Oliver stepped aside to let them in.

“Is everything okay?” he asked with concern. It was unusual for two members of the Justice League to show up unannounced.

“We’re fine,” Zatanna said kissing Oliver’s cheek. “I wanted to speak with you and Felicity about something personal.”

Oliver led them into the living room. Tommy sat up and flipped off the television. He stood up and shook Ray’s hand and kissed Zatanna’s cheek.

“Ray. Zatanna, what a nice surprise.” Felicity looked to Oliver. “This is a nice surprise, right? Armageddon better not be about to start because our plates are pretty full right now.”

“No, Armageddon,” Ray promised.

“Your suit should be ready next week – two weeks at the most. I’m sorry it’s taking so long. I’m having Curtis test out some upgrades before we put you back in it,” Felicity informed their guest.

“I’m not here about the suit,” Ray said kindly. “You’ve got a lot more important things going on.”

Oliver gestured to the sofa and their guests sat down. Ray clasped his hands and leaned towards Felicity, “After our conversation the other day, I spoke with Zatanna. I hope you know I’d normally never betray your confidence, but what you told me about Bobby and Becca has been weighing on my mind. I keep thinking if I’d been there sooner,” he looked to Tommy, “well, maybe things would’ve been different.”

“Ray,” Tommy held up a hand, “you have nothing to apologize for. You helped save my life.”

“Ray thinks I can help,” Zatanna said.

“How?” Oliver asked. Unlike Malcolm, Zatanna was a real magician. He still didn’t understand where her mystical powers came from, but she’d become a valuable member of the Justice League. He wasn’t sure how any of her incantations would help the kids.

Zatanna shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “I haven’t been entirely honest with the JL. In addition to my magic, I’m a meta. My abilities make people very uncomfortable and since I don’t use them, I figured it didn’t’ hurt to keep it to myself.”

“What are your powers?” Felicity asked with interest.

“I can overwrite memories. I can make people forget or make them remember something different,” Zatanna admitted.

“You’re offering to change our children’s memories?” Oliver asked.

“Yes. I can make it so they don’t remember what happened to Tommy, or I can make them forget the entire kidnapping. Make them think that they were on a vacation with Tommy and erase everyone else.”

The thought of having someone manipulate his children’s brains made Oliver very uncomfortable. He was about to decline her offer when Tommy surprised him, “Is it safe?”

“Yes. There isn’t any physical damage done when I change a memory. As long as I’m adding happy memories and removing unhappy ones, there isn’t any emotional damage either,” Zatanna explained. “You don’t have to worry about repressed memories resurfacing, because I’m not repressing the memory, I’m eliminating it completely.”

“What do you think?” Oliver asked Tommy and Felicity.

“Without those memories, Bobby’s night terrors go away and Becca stops having panic attacks and starts talking again,” Felicity said. “I vote, yes.”

“Me too,” Tommy said. “If our children never remember me killing their grandfather and getting shot, I’m okay with that.”

“Okay,” Oliver agreed. “What do you need?”

“Are they asleep?” Zatanna asked.

“Yes,” Felicity answered.

“It’s easier if they’re asleep,” Zatanna smiled. “I can do it now, if you’d like.”

Oliver led the way to their bedroom. “Bobby has been sleeping with us,” Oliver remarked. He entered their bedroom and turned on the bedside lamp. He was unsurprised to find Becca, Nate and Prue had found their way into their parent’s bed.

“Look like the gang’s all here,” Zatanna said with a smile. She sat on the edge of the bed, closed her eyes, and held a hand out towards the children. She sat unmoving for ten minutes, when she opened her eyes, there was a smile on her face. “I didn’t need to change anything for the twins. All of their memories of that time are happy ones – mostly of you,” she said to Tommy. “I don’t think they realized anything bad was going on. Bobby and Becca have good memories too. They all loved the day on the beach and the starfish.”

Tommy covered his eyes and turned away. Oliver placed a hand on his husband’s shoulder and squeezed it gently. “They won’t remember Tommy getting shot?”

Zatanna smiled, “All they’ll remember is that they went on a really fun vacation with Tommy. They’ll have no memory of Malcolm or that they were kidnapped. No more bad dreams. No more panic attacks.”

“Thank you doesn’t seem adequate,” Felicity hugged Zatanna.

“You don’t need to thank me. I’m glad I could help, besides Overwatch and the Green Arrow have saved me more times than I can count.”

“Would you like coffee or tea?” Tommy offered. “Ollie baked an apple pie today.”

“Tea would be lovely,” Zatanna answered.

They all moved into the hallway and Oliver closed the door until it was only opened a sliver. Tommy and Felicity were heading down the hall when Oliver touched Zatanna’s elbow. He pulled his cell from his pocket and held it up for her to see, “Would you mind looking at this message from Constantine? I don’t know what the hell he’s saying.”

Zatanna laughed, “I should put John Constantine’s official translator on my resume.”

 

The next evening Oliver entered his bedroom with one of Becca’s dolls. He found Tommy, Felicity and all four children on their bed. Tommy was sitting against the headboard with his mouth opened as the children took turns throwing popcorn for him to catch. The twins clapped excitedly when Tommy caught the kernel Bobby threw.

“Is this the one?” Oliver asked Becca.

Becca turned to look at him and her face lit up in a smile. She held out her arms, “Thank you, daddy.”

He placed the baby doll in her arms and kissed the top of her head, “You’re welcome, sweet pea.”

“Hey, no fair,” Tommy laughed as Felicity threw several kernels at him at once.

Oliver was suddenly overcome with emotion at what a difference a day made. Bobby didn’t have a night terror the night before and Becca woke up babbling a mile a minute. He ducked into the bathroom so he could get control of his emotions.

He was splashing water on his face when Tommy stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind him, “You okay?”

Oliver dried his face on a towel, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Tommy considered him carefully, “You’ve been acting strange all day. Guilty - actually.”

“I’m worried if we did the right thing with the kids,” Oliver said.

“The moment Becca woke up talking, I knew we made the right decision.” Tommy’s hand landed on Oliver’s chest, “What’s really going on?”

Oliver shook his head, “Nothing, I’m fine.”

Tommy’s face became serious, “You know that I love you and what happened will never change that. My dad gave you no choice. You had to kill him.”

Oliver rested his forehead against his husband’s, “I do know that, but it’s nice to hear.”

“You’re my personal hero,” Tommy stepped closer to Oliver and banded his arms around his husband’s waist. “You always said you would keep me safe from him, and you did.”

“I will always protect you. No matter what,” Oliver kissed Tommy chastely. “I’d do anything for you.”

Once Tommy and Felicity decided it was okay to change the children’s memories, Oliver decided it was okay to do the same for Tommy. He didn’t have a moment’s hesitation when he asked Zatanna to take away the memories of Tommy killing his dad, getting shot and having water from the Lazarus Pit heal him. If it had only been a matter of Tommy killing Malcolm, Oliver would’ve given Tommy time to grieve and find acceptance in his own way. Oliver was convinced Tommy would’ve eventually come to terms with his actions. It had become apparent to Oliver that being saved by water from the Lazarus Pit was something his husband would never get over.

Zatanna had recommended giving Tommy the same memories as the children and eliminating Malcolm, but Oliver wanted Tommy to know that Malcolm would never bother them again. Zatanna changed Malcolm’s instrument of death to an arrow drawn by Oliver’s bow. He’d been willing to risk Tommy pulling away over Malcolm’s death, then to lose Tommy to his fears about the Lazarus Pit. Oliver believed the universe owed him one and had sent Zatanna to right the balance.

“If it wasn’t movie night, I’d be rocking your world right now,” Tommy pinched Oliver’s butt.

Oliver laughed and then kissed Tommy again, “How about, tomorrow night, we leave the kids with Donna and Quentin, and you wear your charcoal suit and Felicity can wear her red dress and we’ll go out to Morrello’s?”

“You’ll wear your gray suit?” Tommy’s fingers found their way beneath Oliver’s t-shirt.

“I’ll wear whatever you want. We’ll have a nice meal and then we’ll come home and the three of us will rock each other’s worlds all night long.” Oliver brushed his nose against Tommy’s.

“Sounds like an excellent plan,” Tommy said right before he sucked on Oliver’s bottom lip.

The bathroom door flew open and Bobby shouted back into the bedroom, “I told you they’d be kissing.” He pulled on his dads’ hands, “Why do you have to be so gross and in love?”

Oliver swooped Bobby into his arms and began to tickle him. “If your mommy, dad and I weren’t in love, none of you would be here.” He blew a raspberry against Bobby’s cheek, “What are we watching?”

“Toy Story,” all four children shouted together.

Oliver rolled Bobby in his arms until he was on his belly with his arms and legs straight out. He swung Bobby out over the bed and his eight-year-old said, “To infinity and beyond.”

Oliver rolled Bobby back over and dropped him onto the bed. Bobby giggled as he bounced on his bottom.

“It looks like some children need to be tickled,” Tommy said as he flexed his fingers out towards the kids.

The kids squealed with laughter and moved closer to the headboard. Felicity picked up the bowl of popcorn and lifted it over her head as Tommy and Oliver dove onto the bed and began to tickle their children.

Oliver caught Felicity watching Tommy with a watery smile as the twins and B2 tackled him for their own tickle attack. The sound of his husband’s and children’s laughter was all the confirmation he needed that he’d made the right decision. Oliver leaned forward and kissed the side of Felicity’s neck. She took hold of his t-shirt and pulled him closer. “You are a good man, Oliver Queen,” she whispered. “Don’t you ever let anyone tell you differently.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> After 100 installments exploring a polyamorous relationship, I feel like this chapter might be the most controversial thing I've written in this verse.
> 
> How do we feel about an early smut installment for Saturday?
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading. Kudos and comments are always welcomed and appreciated. Hearing from you is my favorite part of the day.
> 
> I wish I could personally thank each and every one of you who, took a chance and read this series, left me kudos or a comments. So many of you have been with me from the very beginning and I'm humbled that more than a year later, you are still interested in this verse. Many of you have joined later in the journey and have shared your stories of binging the series. I thank each of you who have recommended the series and encouraged other readers to put aside their skepticism about a polyamorous relationship between Oliver, Felicity and Tommy. I have come to know so many of you through your comments and have made friends with some incredible people all over the world. Thank you for sharing your personal stories with me and for letting me know how much this series means to you. I'm sending each of you my heartfelt thanks and a virtual hug. xoxo S
> 
> Did I mention this is a multi-chapter fic? Chapter 2 will be posted on Wednesday.
> 
> Friday was the lovely thatblondelady's birthday. I wrote a fic based on a prompt she sent me after I posted Part 6, Up All Night. Because I always planned on the 100th installment to be about Malcolm, I'm stalling posting TBL's birthday fic on AO3 until Sunday. You can find it on tumblr if you want to read it before Sunday.
> 
> Prompt requests are encouraged.
> 
> You can also come say hi to me on tumblr. http://realityisoverrated-fic.tumblr.com


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